Editing Sargon II (section)

=== Quest for renown ===
[[File:Gilgamesh subduing a lion.jpg|upright=0.55|thumb|Giant relief from [[Dur-Sharrukin]] thought to depict [[Gilgamesh]] subduing a lion.|alt=Possible relief of Gilgamesh from Dur-Sharrukin]]
Nearly all Assyrian kings wished to outdo their predecessors and be remembered as glorious rulers.{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=5}} Sargon aspired to surpass all previous kings, even [[Sargon of Akkad]]. He established and cultivated his own [[cult of personality]], for instance through having [[Stele|stelae]] made with depictions of him as a formidable king and placing these across the empire, often in highly visible places such as frequented passageways. In his palace in [[Dur-Sharrukin]], Sargon decorated the walls with reliefs depicting himself and his achievements. He hoped that future generations would regard him as one of the greatest kings.{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=|pp=16–17}}

Sargon's aspiration for renown is also reflected in Dur-Sharrukin, which was likely founded mainly as an ideological statement given its location's lack of obvious merit.{{Sfn|Reade|2011|p=118}} Perhaps inspired by Sargon of Akkad being credited as the founder of the city of [[Akkad (city)|Akkad]],{{Sfn|Foster|2016|p=278}} Sargon II built Dur-Sharrukin for his own glory and intended the city, and his various other building works, to preserve his memory for generations to come.{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=22}} The inscriptions in Dur-Sharrukin evoke Sargon's desire to initiate a [[Golden Age|golden age]] and to mark the beginning of a [[New world order (politics)|new world order]].{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=207}} They also condemn those who would destroy Sargon's works and encourage future kings to honor his memory.{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=22}}

In addition to Sargon of Akkad, another figure idolized by Sargon II was the ancient [[Sumerians|Sumerian]] ruler [[Gilgamesh]], chiefly known in Sargon's time through the ''[[Epic of Gilgamesh]]''.{{Sfn|Foster|2016|p=278}}{{Sfn|Helle|2021|loc=A Poem for the Ages}} In several surviving texts, Sargon II's feats were implicitly compared to the legend.{{Sfn|Foster|2016|p=278}} In Sargon's inscriptions, the campaign against [[Urartu]] includes portions where it seems that Sargon is fighting not only the Urartians but also the landscape itself. A section where the mountains are described as if they are rising up as swords and spears to oppose Sargon's advance would probably have reminded Assyrian readers of a similar section in the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'', implying that Sargon faced dangers equal to those of the ancient hero.{{Sfn|Helle|2021|loc=A Poem for the Ages}} A giant relief at Dur-Sharrukin depicts a muscular man holding a lion to his chest. Though the relief bears no inscription that proves its identity, scholars generally identify it as a depiction of Gilgamesh.{{Sfn|Helle|2021|loc=A Poem for the Ages}} In the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'', Gilgamesh, though failing to gain actual immortality, achieves a type of immortality through his creation of an impressive wall surrounding [[Uruk]], a building work that will outlast him and perpetuate his memory.{{Sfn|Kovacs|1989|p=xx}}