Dur-Sharrukin

Historical description

Dūr-Šarrukīn (“Fort Sargon”), modern Khorsabad, became the capital of the Assyrian Empire during the reign of the eighth-century-BC ruler Sargon II (r. 721–705 BC). According to the Assyrian Eponym Chronicle, the foundations of the city were laid in 717 BC and the city itself was completed in early 706 BC, one year before Sargon was killed on the battlefield. Sargon’s newly-constructed, rectangular-shaped capital, which he modelled on the general plan on Babylon, was abandoned upon his death in 705 BC; his son and successor Sennacherib (r. 704–681 BC) made Nineveh Assyria’s principal administrative center.

Geographic evidence

The coordinates are a representative_point_not_boundary. They identify a research anchor and do not by themselves assert an ancient administrative boundary or the full extent of the settlement.

Provenance: Barrington Atlas: BAtlas 89 F4 Dur-Sharrukin

Source and reuse

This profile derives from the Pleiades current GIS record, licensed CC BY 3.0. Pleiades place record The profile preserves the source name, point, type, description, precision and provenance without silently adding a boundary reconstruction.

Research path

Compare this place with the chronological map at the relevant year, nearby political units, routes, institutions and the period portals. Where the source record is silent about jurisdiction, population or ecclesiastical rank, this profile makes no such claim.