SENNACHERIB, son and successor of Sargon, mounted the throne on the 12th of Ab. 705 B.C. His first campaign was against Babylonia, where Merodach-baladan had reappeared. The Chaldaean usurper was compelled to fly and Bel-ibni was appoint ed king of Babylon in his place. In 701 B.C. came a great cam paign in the west, which had revolted from Assyrian rule. Sidon and other Phoenician cities were captured, but Tyre held out, while its king Lulia (Elulaeus) fled to Cyprus. Ashdod, Ammon, Moab and Edom now submitted, but Hezekiah of Judah with the dependent Philistine princes of Ashkelon and Ekron successfully defied the Assyrian army (see HEZEKIAH). The following year Sennacherib made his son Assur-nadin-sum king in place of Bel ibni and drove Merodach-baladan out of the marshes in which he had taken refuge. A few years later he had a fleet of ships built near Birejik on the Euphrates by his Phoenician captives; these were manned by Ionians and transported overland to the Euphrates and so to the Persian gulf. Then they sailed to the
coast of Elam, and there destroyed the colony of Merodach baladan's followers at Nagitu. In return for this unprovoked in vasion the Elamites descended upon Babylonia, carried away Assur-nadin-sum (694 B.c.) and made Nergal-yusezib king. Three years later a great battle was fought at Khalule on the Tigris between the Assyrians on the one side and the Elamites and Baby lonians on the other. Both sides claimed the victory, but in 689 B.C. Sennacherib captured Babylon and razed it to the ground. Some time previously he had overrun the mountain districts of Cilicia. On the loth of Tebet 681 B.c. he was murdered by his two sons, who fled to Armenia after holding Nineveh for 42 days. He is famous as the builder of the palace of Kuyunjik at Nineveh, 1,50oft. long by 7ooft. broad, as well as the great wall of the city, 8m. in circumference.
See S. Smith, Camb. Anc. Hist. iii. ch. III. (A. H. S.)