The Annals of Sennacherib

Book excerpt: Sennacharib had evidently long since made up his mind as to the manner in which Babylonian pride was to be handled. He did not take the hand of Marduk as viceroy, but he had himself proclaimed king of Babylon, and and this without using a second name as Tiglath-pileser had done. Nor does he seem to have taken the trouble to honor Marduk by calling on him in his temple. --from Chapter 2 Sennacherib, the great king, the mighty king, king of the universe, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters; the shepherd, favorite of the great gods, guardian of the right, lover of justice; who lends support, who comes to the aid of the needy, who turns to pious deeds; . . . the god Assur, the great mountain, an unrivaled kingship has entrusted to me, and above all those who dwell in palaces, has made powerful my weapons; from the upper sea of the setting sun to the lower sea of the rising sun, all the black-headed race he has brought in submission at my feet and mighty kings feared my warfare. --from the Oriental Institute Prism