In Sidon a new king, Tuba'al (Ethobaal), was appointed, to whom Sarepta, Akko, and other Phcou. states were given. Arvad and Gebal
• Ku'i (^V 1 K 10"), on the other hand, is the Cllii-lan coast- lnri<l. Khilakku rirobablv occurs in the Bible, Ezk iV iS'nl ll-iN, Arvad and Kheiak. Thus both names for Cilicia are found in tho OT.
(Byblus), however, like Ashdod of Philistia and the states bordering on Jud;ea, Ammnn, Muab, and Edom, offered a voluntary tribute. The town of Ashkelon in Philistia, whose king Sidka (Zedekiah) refused to pay tribute, together with Joppa (Yappfl) and other towns, were conquered and plundered. The town of Ekron (Amkarrfma) handed its king Padi, who had submitted to the Assyrians, over to Ilezekiah {Iihazaki!ia''u) of Judah. Ekron and Judah called in to their assist- ance the king of Musur (see above) and the archers of the king of Milukh, but were defeated by Sennacherib at Eltekeh (Altaku). Sennacherib next besieged and conquered 46 fenced cities and villages of Judah, and carried off 200,150 of their inhabitants as prisoners, until at last he pitched his camp in Lacliish (Assyr. Lakishu), the extreme south-western corner of Judah. Up to this point the passage in 2 K 18'^ agrees with the Assyr. narrative : ' In the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah (B.C. 701) did Sennacherib, king of Assyria, come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.' Then the Bible account goes on to say that Hezekiah sent a message of peace to Sennacherib at Lachish, and that Senna- cherib promised to ab.stain from further hostilities on the payment of 300 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold (2 K 18"- ii^). In spite of this, as the biblical narrative continues (2 K 18" to 19*), Sennacherib sent his chief officer with an army to invest Jerusalem, but was obliged to return to Assyria again without having effected his purpose. The main points of this record agree with Senna- cherib's own account ; ' and Hezekiah himself I shut up like a bird in a cage in Jerusalem (Ur-Salimmu), his royal city. I threw up entrenchments against him, and when any one came out of the gate of the city, I punished hitn. The cities that had been taken away from him I cut off from his land and gave them to the kings of Ashdod, Ekron (Padi), and Gaza. In addition to his former as.sessment (see above, ' the -300 talents of silver and the 30 talents of gold '), I added other tribute, and exacted it from him. Dread of the greatness of my majesty overwhelmed Hezekiah ; while the Be- dawin (? Assyr. amel Urbi) and his own special warriors, whom he had collected together to defend Jerusalem, rendered him no assistance (iV.vh baflnti). In addition to the 30 talents of gold and 8U0* talents of silver, precious stones, antimony t . . . his daughters and women from his harem, male and female slaves, he sent his ambassadors after me, to bring to Nineveh an extra gift of tribute and an expression of his fealty.'
To a later period (this we must infer from the fact that mention is made of the Ethiopian king Tirhakah, called Tarku by Esarhaddon and Assurbanipal), belongs the account given in the Bible (2 K 19*-^") . It really appears as if Sennacherib had undertaken, shortly before his death, an ex- pedition against the Arabians (cf. the inscriptions of Esarhaddon, and Herodotus ll. 141), and had made use of the opportunity to march a second time against Hezekiah as well.
Shortly after this, on the 20th of Tebet 681 B.C., he was murdered by his own son, or, according to the account in 2 K 19'", by liis two sons, Adramtnelech and Sharezer. The rebellion lasted till the 2nd of Adar, about a month and a half, because Esar- haddon, who had been appointeii by Sennacherib to succeed him, was at that time absent in Armenia, whither the conspirators marched against him, only, however, to be defeated.
Esarhaddon thereupon ascended the throne
* The annual tribute of 300 t.ilents of silver imposed on Ilozekiali was thus increased by 500 talents.
t Here follows an enumeration of a series of other special presents.
ASSYRIA
ASSYRIA
189
amidst general rejoiciiij;, on 18tli of Adar 681 B.i ., and set himself to the task of rebuilding the town of Babylon, towards which he had always shown special favour.
Ash ur-akhi-idiua (i.e. ' Asur give still a brother '), tile Esnrhaddiiii of the Bible, reigned from li.C. CSO-OOl). During his reign a great danger threatened Assyria, on account of an invasion of the Cimmerians (Gimirrai ; their land was called Gamir ; see above, p. 187», note), who joined with the Mi'des and burst like a storm upon the country. These Cimmerians were Kranian nnmads, who, according to classical tradition, had originally come from the north coast of the Black Sea, and who had threatened even in the time of Sargon to cross the Caucasus into Armenia. There was a certain Du.ianiii of Hapwda C"^??, Ob v.-*), an Ispuk-ai of Ishk-uza (ij^^'n), a Median chief Mdiniiiarstt, and a Kastarit of Karkansi (the Karkasia of the inscriptions of Sargon) in .Media, who, in conjunction with the Mann;eans, and with Tiii.ipa, leader of the Gimirrai, threatened the ca.st frontier of Assyria, and more especially yv7.<Ans.sK, which, since the time of Sargon, had been an Assyr. town, and which probably they were suc- cessful in taking. Ashur-akhi-idina, however, ad- vanced into Media as far as Patus'arra (narjiir- xopeis, Strabo xv. 3), 'to the borders of the salt desert at the verge of the Bikni mountains' (or Demavend). In the north-west he conquered the Cilicians, who had allied themselves with Ishkallu of Tabal, iluggallu of .Milida, and the Kuzzurakai, enli.sting Greek soldiers against them, as Berosus narrates.