Sargon II

Sargon II came to power in 722/721 BC under circumstances that remain uncertain. His inscriptions claim the capture of Samaria and the deportation of 27,290 inhabitants, although the siege had begun under Shalmaneser V. Sargon suppressed revolts throughout the Levant, defeated a coalition near Gaza, fought Urartu, and built a new royal capital at Dur-Sharrukin.

His reign secured Assyrian domination after a disputed succession and completed the incorporation of the northern kingdom of Israel into the empire. His inscriptions are among the most important extrabiblical sources for the aftermath of Samaria's fall.

Claimed conquest and deportation of Samaria Battle of Raphia Campaign against Ashdod Campaigns against Urartu Construction of Dur-Sharrukin Death in battle in 705 BC

New royal capital at Dur-Sharrukin (Khorsabad) Royal palace and monumental reliefs Temples and city defenses

Sargon was killed in battle in Anatolia in 705 BC. His body was apparently not recovered, an event that carried ominous religious implications in Assyrian culture.

Isaiah explicitly names Sargon in connection with the Assyrian capture of Ashdod. His reign also forms the immediate historical setting of the fall and resettlement of the northern kingdom of Israel. His own annals claim the capture of Samaria, although Shalmaneser V had begun the siege.