Foreign groom in a tributary procession ca. 721–705 Assyrian Soon after taking the throne, the Assyrian king Sargon II (r. 721–705 ) founded a new capital city, Dur-Sharrukin (literally "fortress of Sargon"), at a site known today as Khorsabad. Sargon took the throne in a coup against his brother, Shalmaneser V (r. 726–722 ), and it is possible that by moving to a new capital he hoped to consolidate his regime. Sargon, meaning "true king," was a throne name, and referred to a very ancient king, Sargon of Akkad, who by the Neo-Assyrian period was remembered as a legendary hero. Bui

Foreign groom in a tributary procession ca. 721–705 Assyrian Soon after taking the throne, the Assyrian king Sargon II (r. 721–705 ) founded a new capital city, Dur-Sharrukin (literally "fortress of Sargon"), at a site known today as Khorsabad. Sargon took the throne in a coup against his brother, Shalmaneser V (r. 726–722 ), and it is possible that by moving to a new capital he hoped to consolidate his regime. Sargon, meaning "true king," was a throne name, and referred to a very ancient king, Sargon of Akkad, who by the Neo-Assyrian period was remembered as a legendary hero. Building work at Dur-Sharrukin continued throughout Sargon’s reign, with not only a main palace but also a constellation of other palaces and temples, as well as the infrastructure of the city itself. However, the immense project was abandoned in 705 with the king’s death. His son Sennacherib would move the capital once again, to Nineveh, and there embark on a new monumental building relief fragment comes from the main palace at Khorsabad, and shows a groom leading two horses. The horses’ elaborate harness appears to be Assyrian, with the common motif of rosettes on the cheek-pieces, tassels, and large crests rising from the headpieces. The non-Assyrian hairstyle and clothing of the groom, however, make it clear that he is a foreigner, and this fragment originally formed part of a much larger scene showing a foreign delegation bringing tribute to Assyria. In this case the horses themselves are the tribute. The main sources of horses for the Assyrians were regions to the east and north of Assyria, and it is likely that the groom comes from one of these were extremely valuable to Assyria, not least as part of the empire’s formidable military, in which cavalry and fast, light two-wheeled chariots played a significant role. Depictions of horses occur frequently on reliefs showing Assyrian military campaigns, and sometimes in other media: wa

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