but little interest; and yet with him foundered
one of the most glorious wrecks of the ancient world. For more than a
century the Khati had been the dominant power in North-western Asia, and
had successfully withstood the power of Thebes; crushed by the Peoples
of the Sea, hemmed in and encroached upon by the rising wave of Aramaean
invasion, they had yet disputed their territory step by step with the
Assyrian generals, and the area over which they spread can be traced
by the monuments and inscriptions scattered over Cilicia, Lycaonia,
Cappadocia, and Northern Syria as far as the basins of the Orontes and
the Litany. So lasting had proved their influence on all around them,
and so fresh was the memory of their greatness, that it would have
seemed but natural that their vitality should survive this last blow,
and that they should enjoy a prosperous future which should vie with
their past. But events proved that their national life was dead, and
that no recuperative power remained: as soon as Sargon had overthrown
their last prince, their tribes became merged in the general body
of Aramaeans, and their very name ere long vanished from the pages of
history.

Up to this time Eusas had not directly interfered in these quarrels
between the suzerain and his vassals: he may have incited the latter to
revolt, but he had avoided compromising himself, and was waiting till
the Mannai had decided to make common cause with him before showing
his hand openly. Ever since the skirmish of the year 719, Mitatti had
actively striven to tempt the Mannai from their allegiance, but his
intrigues had hitherto proved of no avail against the staunch fidelity
first of Iranzu and then of Aza, who had succeeded the latter about
718. At the beginning of the year 716 Mitatti was more successful; the
Mannai, seduced at length by his promises and those of Eusas, assembled
on Mount Uaush, murdered their king, and leaving his corpse unburied,
hastened to place themselves under the command of Bagadatti, regent
of Umildish. Sargon hurried to the spot, seized Bagadatti, and had him
flayed alive on Mount Uaush, which had just witnessed the murder of Aza,
and exposed the mass of bleeding flesh before the gaze of the people to
demonstrate the fate reserved for his enemies. But though he had
acted speedily he was too late, and the fate of their chief, far from
discouraging his subjects, confirmed them in their rebellion. They had
placed upon the throne Ullusunu