The Sargon’s Fortress was also known as the Dur-Sharrukin, or the present day Khorsabad. This was built by Sargon II of Assyria. This was a building project that became the king’s obsession, and as an outcome covered 1.1 square miles. The design behind this was to form a near perfect square which rose a “palace without rival” with a four story ziggurat. The outer town is pierced by seven fortified gates,
Plan of Palace at Sargon’s Fortress
Dur-Sharrukin was built to be the beginning for Sargon II, and he had overseen the construction of it from afar. He wanted this city to be built as fast as possible, but also wanted to make sure the quality of it was great. To have this city built, he required a lot of manual labor, and needing them to the extent where he would cancel their debts in order for them to focus on the construction. He would also have prisoners of war and those whom he had conquered to help aid in construction of the city.
3D View of Palace at Sargon’s Fortress
Sargon’s Fortress had soon been forgotten after Sargon II was defeated in battle. Because of this, the city was never complete. A majority of the city had been completed: mainly walls, and several buildings, but there are some excavations that lead us to believe that there is much work to be done still.
Apparently, his death was so severe because they were unable to retrieve his body on the battlefield. They believed that he must’ve done something so sinful that the Gods would have punished him this way. After his defeat, Dur-Sharrukin soon collapsed in fire after the fall of the Assyrian Empire.
Palace of Dur-Sharrukin
Works Cited:
Mark, Joshua J. "Dur-Sharrukin." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 05 July 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
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