Sennacherib, by Philip Schaff, 1887, via Library of CongressĪt first, King Sennacherib distanced himself from the events, and his first action as king was to move the capital of the empire from Dur-Sharrukin to Nineveh, symbolizing a break from his father’s legacy. This was seen as punishment from the gods for some great sin committed during the person’s life. According to Assyrian belief, those killed in battle and not buried were doomed to wander throughout eternity as beggars. Sennacherib, however, was deeply affected and in psychological denial over his father’s death. Thus, at the age of around 35, Sennacherib ascended the throne of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Sargon’s army was defeated, and he was killed. In 705 BCE, Sargon II led a disastrous campaign against King Gurdî of Tabal in central Anatolia. Sennacherib Becomes King Sargon II’s palace at Dur-Sharrukin, via It is possible that a certain resentment grew in that Sennacherib was denied the opportunity to prove his military worth, but this is speculation. While Sargon was away on campaign, all internal duties fell to Sennacherib, who had to engage with many governors to maintain order throughout the kingdom, which was one of the largest empires in the ancient world and covered lands from the borders of Cimmeria, now northeastern Turkey, all the way to the mouths of the Tigris and the Euphrates, covering the land that was the Babylonian Empire. Sennacherib’s father delegated a huge amount of responsibility to his son.
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