the
wonder of the Ninevites, and the possession of it flattered the vanity
of the conqueror. This was, however, an interlude of short duration, and
the turbulent tribes of the Taurus recalled him to the west as soon as
spring set in.

He laid waste Kui in 836 B.C., destroyed Timur, its capital, and on his
return march revenged himself on Arame of Agusi, whose spirit was still
unbroken by his former misfortunes.

[Illustration: 137.jpg ELEPHANT AND MONKEYS BROUGHT AS A TRIBUTE TO
NINEVEH BY THE PEOPLE OF MUZBI]

Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from one of the bas-reliefs of the
Black Obelisk.

Tanakun and Tarsus fell into his hands 835 B.C.; Shalmaneser replaced
Kati, the King of Kui, by his brother Kirri, and made of his dominions a
kind of buffer state between his own territory and that of Pamphylia and
Lycaonia. He had now occupied the throne for a quarter of a century,
not a year of which had elapsed without seeing the monarch gird on his
armour and lead his soldiers in person towards one or other points
of the horizon. He was at length weary of such perpetual warfare, and
advancing age perchance prevented him from leading his troops with that
dash and vigour which are necessary to success; however this might be,
on his return from Cilicia he laid aside his armour once for all, and
devoted himself to peaceful occupations.

But he did not on that account renounce all attempts at conquest.
Conducting his campaigns by proxy delegated the command of his army to
his Tartan Dayan-assur, and the northern tribes were the first on whom
this general gave proof of his prowess. Urartu had passed into the
hands of another sovereign since its defeat in 845 B.C., and a second
Sharduris* had taken the place of the Arame who had ruled at the
beginning of Shalma-neser's reign.

* The name is written Siduri or Seduri in the text of the
Obelisk, probably in accordance with some popular
pronunciation, in which the r was but slightly rolled and
finally disappeared. The identity of Seduri and Sharduris,
has been adopted by recent historians. Belck and Lehmann
have shown that this Seduri was not Sharduris, son of
Lutipris, but a Sharduris II., probably the son of Arame.

It would appear that the accession of this prince, who was probably
young and active, was the signal for a disturbance among the people of
the Upper Tigris and the Masios--a race always impatient of the yoke,
and ready to make