The Doom of Sargon II

Oldest Stories by James Bleckley

Mar 25, 202600:34:19Society & Culture

This episode examines the final major campaign of Sargon II of Assyria (reigned 722–705 BCE) and the long conflict with the Chaldean ruler Marduk-apla-iddina II (Merodach-Baladan) for control of Babylonia. Early in Sargo...

Related Episodes

Continue listening to more episodes from Oldest Stories.

Assyrian Omen Science

Sep 23, 2026 - 00:51:06

How did ancient Assyria use divination, astrology, and animal livers to make decisions of war, government...

The Cimmerian Horse Lords

Sep 9, 2026 - 00:36:17

The Cimmerians were among the first great horse nomad powers to crash into the civilizations of the ancie...

Esarhaddon and the Empire That Ran Itself

Aug 26, 2026 - 00:43:23

Esarhaddon inherited the Neo-Assyrian Empire at the height of its power—but his kingship looked very diff...

The Lessons of Ahiqar

Jul 29, 2026 - 00:44:37

The ancient story of Ahiqar follows a legendary wise man and royal adviser at the court of the Assyrian k...

Sennacherib’s Last Omen

Jul 15, 2026 - 00:38:03

In the final years of Sennacherib’s reign, the Neo-Assyrian Empire entered a strange period of peace. Aft...

The Bottom of the Mesopotamia Iceberg

Jul 1, 2026 - 00:51:43

An examination of the deepest level of the Ancient Mesopotamia iceberg, commonly labeled "Theories and Sp...

Sennacherib Builds a Paradise in Nineveh

Jun 17, 2026 - 00:39:06

Sennacherib is remembered as one of the most powerful kings of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, but his greatest...

Lachish and How an Assyrian Siege Worked

Jun 3, 2026 - 00:51:35

Its the siege of Lachish, but also a much more wide ranging explanation of Assyrian siegecraft more gener...