Editing Sargon II (section)

=== Guardian of justice ===
[[File:Upper part of the stela of Sargon II from Cyprus, late 8th century BCE. Pergamon Museum.jpg|left|thumb|Close-up of the image of Sargon on the [[Sargon Stele]] from [[Cyprus]].|alt=Sargon on a stele]]
Sargon titled himself a "guardian of justice"{{Sfn|Darling|2013|p=221}} and considered himself to be divinely mandated to "maintain justice and right", "give guidance to those who are not strong" and "not to injure the weak".{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=12}} Sargon worked to ensure the protection and security of the people who lived under his rule.{{Sfn|Darling|2013|p=26}}

Under [[Tiglath-Pileser III]], Assyrian efforts to assimilate and incorporate conquered foreign peoples had begun in earnest. Sargon continued and extended this policy, putting foreigners on the same footing as the original Assyrian population. Sargon's accounts of conquests explicitly mention that he placed the same taxes on the people of the new territories as he did on the people in the Assyrian heartland.{{Sfn|Darling|2013|p=27}} Sargon also encouraged assimilation, cultural mixture and the teaching, rather than forceful imposition, of Assyrian ways of life.{{Sfn|Darling|2013|p=27}}{{sfn|Novák|2016|p=132}} One of the passages in an account of Dur-Sharrukin's construction for instance reads:{{sfn|Novák|2016|p=132}}

{{quote|quote=Subjects of (all) four (parts of the world), of foreign tongues, with different languages without similarity, people from mountainous regions and plains, so many (different people) as the light of the gods,{{efn|Referring to the sun god [[Shamash]].{{sfn|Novák|2016|p=132}}}} lord above all, supervises, I let dwell inside [my new city] on the command of Ashur my lord [...]. Born Assyrians, experienced in all professions, I set above them as supervisors and guides to teach them how to work properly and respect the gods and the king.{{sfn|Novák|2016|p=132}}}}

The power and influence of the women at the royal court was increased in Sargon's reign. He created new military units subservient to the queen,{{Sfn|Svärd|2015|pp=163–166}}{{Sfn|Melville|2019|p=691}}{{Sfn|Svärd|2016|p=128}} which grew in size and diversity under Sargon's successors. These units were part of the military might of the empire and participated in campaigns.{{Sfn|Svärd|2015|pp=163–166}}{{Sfn|Melville|2019|p=691}} Sargon's motivation is not known, but perhaps he wanted to reduce the influence of powerful officials by delegating authority and responsibilities to trusted relatives, including women.{{Sfn|Melville|2019|p=691}} The office of ''[[turtanu]]'' was split into two, one being assigned to the forces of the queen.{{Sfn|Svärd|2015|pp=163–166}}

In Assyrian royal ideology, the Assyrian king was the divinely appointed mortal representative of [[Ashur (god)|Ashur]]. The king was seen as having the moral, humane and necessary obligation to extend Assyria since lands outside Assyria were regarded to be uncivilized and a threat to the cosmic and divine order within the Assyrian Empire. Expansionism was thus cast as a moral duty to convert chaos to civilization.{{Sfn|Parker|2011|pp=363–365}} Resistance against Assyrian rule was seen as fighting against divine will; rebels and enemies were criminals against the divine world order, deserving punishment.{{Sfn|Bedford|2009|pp=22, 29}} Though some atrocities are recorded in Sargon's inscriptions, including "filling the mountain valleys" with the bodies of enemy soldiers{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=18}} and gouging out the eyes of prisoners,{{Sfn|Bagg|2016|p=66}} Sargon's inscriptions do not appear to contain much overt sadism (unlike the inscriptions of some other kings, such as [[Ashurnasirpal II]]).{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=18}} Atrocities enacted by Assyrian kings were in most known cases directed only towards soldiers and elites; as of 2016 none of the known inscriptions or reliefs of Sargon mention or show harm being done to civilians.{{Sfn|Bagg|2016|p=|pp=59–60, 67}} Unlike virtually all other Assyrian kings, Sargon did not solely exert dominion through aggression, but maintained good relations with several foreign ruling classes and external kings, rewarded loyal vassals, worked to seal alliances, and several times spared and forgave repentant enemies.{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=|pp=246–247}}

Sargon saw himself as exceptionally intelligent, more so than any of his predecessors.{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=16}} It is probable that he received the usual education of the Assyrian upper class, learning both [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] and [[Sumerian language|Sumerian]], as well as some [[arithmetic]]. Sargon was perhaps also educated in [[art]] or [[literature]]; he built a library in his palace and covered the palace walls in artwork.{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=23}} Sargon heavily promoted writing and scribal culture; court scholars became more prominent in Sargon's reign than both before and after. Over a thousand [[cuneiform]] letters are known from Sargon's time, more than from the reigns of his three successors combined.{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=249}}