ns, including Milid itself, where King Khitaruadas held his court.**

* It is evident from the account of the campaigns that
Tiglath-pileser occupied Khubushkia from the very
commencement of his reign; we must therefore assume that the
invasions of Argistis had produced only transient effects.

** These campaigns must have preceded the descent into
Syria, and I believe this latter to have been anterior to
the expedition of Assur-nirari against Arpad in 754 B.C.
Assur-nirari probably tried to reconquer the tribes who had
just become subject to Sharduris. The descent of this latter
into Syria probably took place about 756 or 755 B.C., and
his wars against Melitene about 758 to 757 B.C.

At this point two courses lay open before him. He could either continue
his march westwards, and, penetrating into Asia Minor, fall upon the
wealthy and industrious races who led a prosperous existence between
the Halys and the Sangarios, such as the Tabal, the Chalybes, and the
Phrygians, or he could turn southwards.

[Illustration: 180.jpg A VISTA OF THE ASIANIC STEPPE]

Drawn by Boudier, from a photograph by Alfred Boissier.

Deterred, apparently, by the dreary and monotonous aspect of the Asianic
steppes, he chose the latter course; he crossed Mount Taurus, descended
into Northern Syria about 756, and forced the Khati to swear allegiance
to him. Their inveterate hatred of the Assyrians led the Bit-Agusi to
accept without much reluctance the supremacy of the only power which had
shown itself capable of withstanding their triumphant progress. Arpad
became for several years an unfailing support to Urartu and the basis on
which its rule in Syria rested. Assur-nirari had, as we know, at
first sought to recover it, but his attempt to do so in 754 B.C. was
unsuccessful, and merely served to demonstrate his own weakness: ten
years later, Carchemish, Grurgum, Kummukh, Samalla, Unki, Kui--in a
word, all the Aramaeans and the Khati between the Euphrates and the
sea had followed in the steps of the Agusi, and had acknowledged the
supremacy of Sharduris.*

* The _minimum_ extent of the dominions of Sharduris in
Syria may be deduced from the list of the allies assigned to
him by Tiglath-pileser in 743 in the Annals.

This prince must now haye been sorely tempted to adopt, on his own
account, the policy of the Ninevite monarchs, and push on in the
direction of Hamath,