Editing Sargon II (section)

=== Name ===
[[File:Sargon of Akkad on his victory stele.jpg|thumb|[[Sargon of Akkad]] (c.2334–2279 BC) as depicted on his victory stele. Sargon II likely took his [[regnal name]] from this ancient king and sought to emulate his exploits.|alt=Sargon of Akkad on a rock relief]]
Sargon II was the first king in more than a thousand years to bear the name Sargon.{{Sfn|Foster|2016|p=278}} There were two Mesopotamian kings of the same name before his reign: [[Sargon I]], a minor Assyrian king of the 19th century BC (after whom Sargon II is enumerated by modern historians), and the far more prominent 24th–23rd century BC [[Sargon of Akkad]], conqueror of large parts of Mesopotamia and the founder of the [[Akkadian Empire]].{{Sfn|Hurowitz|2010|p=93}} Sargon was probably an assumed [[regnal name]].{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|pp=14, 28}} Royal names in ancient Mesopotamia were deliberate choices,{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=12}} setting the tone for a king's reign.{{Sfn|Foster|2016|p=278}} Sargon most likely chose the name due to its use by Sargon of Akkad. In late Assyrian texts, the names of Sargon II and Sargon of Akkad are written with the same spelling. Sargon II is sometimes explicitly called the "second Sargon" (''Šarru-kīn arkû''). Though the precise extent of the ancient Sargon's conquests had been forgotten, the legendary ruler was still remembered as a "conqueror of the world".{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=|pp=14–15}} Sargon II also energetically pursued the expansion of his own empire.{{Sfn|Foster|2016|p=278}}

In addition to the name's historical connections, Sargon connected his regnal name to justice.{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=12}} In several inscriptions, Sargon described his name as akin to a divine mandate to ensure that his people lived just lives, for instance in an inscription in which Sargon described how he reimbursed the owners of the land he chose to construct his new capital city of [[Dur-Sharrukin]] on:{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=12}}

{{quote|quote=In accordance with the name which the great gods have given me – to maintain justice and right, to give guidance to those who are not strong, not to injure the weak –  the price of the fields of that town [Khorsabad] I paid back to their owners ...{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=12}}}}

The name was most commonly written ''Šarru-kīn'', although ''Šarru-ukīn'', is also attested. Sargon's name is commonly interpreted as "the faithful king" in the sense of righteousness and justice. Another alternative is that ''Šarru-kīn'' is a phonetic reproduction of the contracted pronunciation of ''Šarru-ukīn'' to ''Šarrukīn'', which means that it should be interpreted as "the king has obtained/established order", possibly referencing disorder either under his predecessor or caused by Sargon's usurpation.{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=|pp=13–14}} ''Šarru-kīn'' can also be interpreted as "the legitimate king" or "the true king" and it could have been chosen because Sargon was not the legitimate heir to the throne.{{sfn|Wilson|2017|p=29}}{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=|pp=13–14}} The ancient Sargon of Akkad also became king through usurpation.{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=|pp=13–14}} The origin of the conventional modern version of the name, Sargon, is not entirely clear but it is probably based on the spelling in the [[Hebrew Bible]] (''srgwn'').{{Sfn|Elayi|2017|p=13}}