Sargon II was an Assyrian king who reigned from 722 to 705 BC. Sargon II became co-regent with Shalmaneser V in 722 BC, and became the sole ruler of the kingdom of Assyria in 722 BC after the death of Shalmaneser V. It is not clear whether he was the son of Tiglath-Pileser III or a usurper unrelated to the royal family. In his inscriptions, he styles himself as a new man, rarely referring to his predecessors; however he took the name Sharru-kinu ("true king"), after Sargon of Akkad, who had founded the first Semitic Empire in the region some 16 centuries earlier.
The nine chapters of Western Asia in the Days of Sargon of Assyria covers the history of Sargon II’s reign. A table of contents is included for easier navigation.
