Editing Sargon II (section)

== Family and children ==
[[File:Sargon II and a crown prince, possibly Sennacherib, from Khorsabad, Iraq. The British Museum.jpg|thumb|Relief from Dur-Sharrukin depicting Sargon (left) and his son [[Sennacherib]] (right), then the [[crown prince]]|alt=Sargon and Sennacherib on a rock relief]]
In addition to Shalmaneser V probably being Sargon's brother, Sargon had a younger brother, Sin-ahu-usur (''Sîn-ahu-usur''), who was by 714 the commander of Sargon's royal cavalry guard. After the inauguration of Dur-Sharrukin in 706, he was granted his own residence in the new capital.{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=|pp=27–28}} He appears to have held the influential position of [[grand vizier]].{{Sfn|Frahm|2017|p=181}}

Two wives of Sargon are known: Ra'ima (''Ra'īmâ'') and [[Iaba, Banitu and Atalia|Atalia]] (''Ataliā'').{{Sfn|Melville|2016|p=56}} Atalia was Sargon's [[Queens of the Neo-Assyrian Empire|queen]]; her tomb was discovered in Nimrud in 1989.{{Sfn|Damerji|2008|p=81}} The general assumption among researchers is that Assyrian kings could have multiple wives, but only one woman at a time could be recognized as queen.{{Sfn|Kertai|2013|p=109}}{{Sfn|Elayi|2018|p=15}} Sennacherib was once believed to have been Atalia's son, but he is now known to have been the son of Ra'ima, since a stele from Assur, translated in 2014, explicitly refers to Ra'ima as his mother.{{Sfn|Elayi|2018|p=13}} There is no evidence that Ra'ima was ever Sargon's queen.{{sfn|Kertai|2013|p=115}} Atalia is believed to have outlived Sargon{{Sfn|Frahm|2014|p=203}} and her remains found in 1989 indicate that she was aged approximately 30–35 at the time of death.{{sfn|Kertai|2013|pp=114–115}} Ra'ima must have been significantly older than Atalia given that she gave birth to Sennacherib {{Circa}} 745.{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=29}} It is possible that Ra'ima also outlived Sargon since an inscription written by Sennacherib 692&nbsp;BC references her,{{Sfn|Elayi|2018|p=13}} though it might have been written after her death.{{sfn|Kertai|2013|p=115}}

Sargon had at least two sons before Sennacherib was born, though they died prior to Sennacherib's birth,{{Sfn|Melville|2016|p=56}} indicated by Sennacherib's name, ''Sîn-ahhī-erība'' in Akkadian, meaning "[the god] [[Sin (mythology)|Sîn]] has replaced the brothers".{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=29}}{{Sfn|Elayi|2018|p=12}}{{Sfn|Frame|2021|p=23}} Like Sennacherib, the older sons were presumably sons of Ra'ima.{{Sfn|Melville|2016|p=56}} Sennacherib, who succeeded Sargon as king ({{Reign}}705–681),{{Sfn|Melville|2016|p=56}} was an adult at the time of Sargon's accession. He was named [[crown prince]] early in Sargon's reign and assisted his father in running the empire;{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=29}} he helped collect and summarize intelligence reports from the Assyrian spy network.{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=19}} Sargon had at least two children younger than Sennacherib, though their names are unknown.{{Sfn|Melville|2016|p=56}} Their existence is indicated by a letter from Sargon's reign mentioning "Sennacherib, the crown prince ... [and all] the princes/children of the king (who are) [in] Assyria".{{Sfn|Frame|2021|p=23}} Sargon's only known daughter was Ahat-Abisha (''Ahat-Abiša''), who married Ambaris of Tabal.{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=102}} When Ambaris was dethroned by Sargon in 713, Ahat-Abisha probably returned to Assyria.{{Sfn|Dubovský|2006b|pp=141–142}}