Assur-nazir-pal and his descendants had claimed
Bel-kapkapi and Sulili as the founders of their race, the Sargonids
chose a different tradition, and drew their descent from Belbani, son of
Adasi. The cause and incidents of the revolution which raised Sargon to
the throne are unknown, but we may surmise that the policy adopted
with regard to Karduniash was a factor in the case. Tiglath-pileser had
hardly entered Babylon before the fascination of the city, the charm of
its associations, and the sacred character of the legends which hallowed
it, seized upon his imagination; he returned to it twice in the space of
two years to "take the hands of Bel," and Shalmaneser V. much preferred
it to Calah or Nineveh as a place of residence. The Assyrians doubtless
soon became jealous of the favour shown by their princes to their
ancient enemy, and their discontent must have doubtless conduced to
their decision to raise a new monarch to the throne. The Babylonians,
on the other hand, seem to have realised that the change in the dynasty
presaged a disadvantageous alteration of government; for as soon as the
news reached them a movement was set on foot and search made for a rival
claimant to set up in opposition to Sargon.*

* The succession of events, as indicated in _Pinches'
Babylonian Chronicle_, seems indeed to imply that the
Babylonians waited to ascertain the disposition of the new
king before they decided what line to adopt. In fact,
Shalmaneser died in the month Tebeth, and Sargon ascended
the throne at Assur in the same month, and it was only in
the month Nisan that Mero-dach-baladan was proclaimed king.
The three months intervening between the accession of Sargon
and that of Merodach-baladan evidently represent a period of
indecision., when it was not yet known if the king would
follow the policy of his predecessors with regard to
Babylon, or adopt a different attitude towards her.

Of all the nations who had in turn occupied the plains of the Lower
Euphrates and the marshes bordering on Arabia, the Kalda alone had
retained their full vitality. They were constantly recruited by
immigrants from their kinsfolk of the desert, and the continual
infiltration of these semi-barbarous elements kept the race from
becoming enervated by contact with the indigenous population, and more
than compensated for the losses in their ranks occasioned by war. The
invasion of Tiglath-