show us from
743 to 741 the king at war with Matilu of Agusi and his
suzerain Sharduris III. of Urartu.

Similar to the ascendency of Arpad over the plateau of Aleppo was
that of Hadrach in the valley of the Orontes. This city had taken the
position formerly occupied by Hamath, which was now possibly one of its
dependencies; it owed no allegiance to Damascus, and rallied around it
all the tribes of Coele-Syria, whose assistance Hadadezer, but a short
while before, had claimed in his war with the foreigner. Neither Arpad,
Hadrach, nor Damascus ever neglected to send the customary presents to
any sovereign who had the temerity to cross the Euphrates and advance
into their neighbourhood, but the necessity for this act of homage
became more and more infrequent. During his reign of eighteen years
Assurdan III., son and successor of Shalmaneser IV., appeared only three
times beneath their walls--at Hadrach in 766 and 755, at Arpad in 750,
a few months only before his death. Assyria was gradually becoming
involved in difficulties, and the means necessary to the preservation
of its empire were less available than formerly. Assurdan had frankly
renounced all idea of attacking Urartu, but he had at least endeavoured
to defend himself against his enemies on the southern and eastern
frontiers; he had led his armies against Gananate (771,767), against
Itua (769), and against the Medes (766), before risking an attack on
Hadrach (765), but more than this he had not attempted. On two occasions
in eight years (768, 764) he had preferred to abstain from offensive
action, and had remained inactive in his own country. Assyria found
herself in one of those crises of exhaustion which periodically laid
her low after each outbreak of ambitious enterprise; she might well be
compared to a man worn out by fatigue and loss of blood, who becomes
breathless and needs repose as soon as he attempts the least exertion.
Before long, too, the scourges of disease and civil strife combined with
exhaustion in hastening her ruin. The plague had broken out in the very
year of the last expedition against Hadrach (765), perhaps under the
walls of that city. An eclipse of the sun occurred in 763, in the month
of Sivan, and this harbinger of woe was the signal for an outbreak of
revolt in the city of Assur.*

* The ideas which Orientals held on the subject of comets
renders the connection between the two events very likely,
if not certa