Editing Sennacherib (section)

=== Resolving the Babylonian problem ===
[[File:Assyria slingers hurling stones towards the enemy at the city of -alammu. Detail of a wall relief dating back to the reign of Sennacherib, 700-692 BCE. From Nineveh, Iraq, currently housed in the British Museum.jpg|thumb|alt=Wall relief showing men hurling stones towards an enemy| Relief from Sennacherib's reign depicting Assyrian slingers hurling stones at an enemy city]]
By 700 BC, the situation in Babylonia had once again deteriorated to such an extent that Sennacherib had to invade and reassert his control. Bel-ibni now faced the open revolts of two tribal leaders: Shuzubu (who later became Babylonian king under the name [[Mushezib-Marduk]]) and Marduk-apla-iddina, now an elderly man.{{Sfn|Levine|1982|p=40}} One of Sennacherib's first measures was to remove Bel-ibni from the Babylonian throne, either because of incompetence or complicity,{{Sfn|Brinkman|1973|p=91}} and he was brought back to Assyria, whereafter he is not heard of again in the sources.{{Sfn|Levine|1982|p=41}} The Assyrians searched the northern marshes of Babylonia in an attempt to find and capture Shuzubu, but they failed. Sennacherib then hunted for Marduk-apla-iddina, a hunt so intense the Chaldean escaped on boats with his people across the Persian Gulf, taking refuge in the Elamite city of [[Nagitu]]. Victorious, Sennacherib attempted yet another method to govern Babylonia and appointed his son [[Ashur-nadin-shumi]] to reign as Babylonian vassal king.{{Sfn|Levine|1982|p=|pp=40–41}}

Ashur-nadin-shumi was also titled ''māru rēštû'', a title that could be interpreted either as the "pre-eminent son" or the "firstborn son". His appointment as king of Babylon and the new title suggests that Ashur-nadin-shumi was being groomed to succeed Sennacherib as the king of Assyria upon his death. If ''māru rēštû'' means "pre-eminent" such a title would befit only the crown prince, and if it means "firstborn", this also suggests that Ashur-nadin-shumi was the heir. In most cases the Assyrians followed the principle of [[primogeniture]], wherein the oldest son inherits.{{Sfn|Porter|1993|p=14}} More evidence in favor of Ashur-nadin-shumi being the crown prince is Sennacherib's construction of a palace for him at the city of Assur,{{Sfn|Porter|1993|p=15}} something Sennacherib would also do for the later crown prince Esarhaddon. As an Assyrian king of Babylon, Ashur-nadin-shumi's position was politically important and highly delicate and would have granted him valuable experience as the intended heir to the entire Neo-Assyrian Empire.{{Sfn|Porter|1993|p=16}}

In the years that followed, Babylonia stayed relatively quiet, with no chronicles recording any significant activity.{{Sfn|Levine|1982|p=41}} In the meantime, Sennacherib campaigned elsewhere. His fifth campaign in 699&nbsp;BC involved a series of raids against the villages around the foot of [[Mount Judi]], located to the northeast of Nineveh. Sennacherib's generals led other small campaigns without the king present, including a 698&nbsp;BC expedition against [[Kirua]], an Assyrian governor revolting in [[Cilicia]], and a 695&nbsp;BC campaign against the city of [[Tegarama]].{{Sfn|Luckenbill|1924|p=14}} In 694 BC, Sennacherib invaded Elam, with the explicit goal of the campaign being to root out Marduk-apla-iddina and the other Chaldean refugees.{{Sfn|Levine|1982|p=41}}