ed to him to be the most feasible and judicious
procedure, for if he succeeded in expelling the invaders he would at
the same time compel the allegiance of the rebellious Hittite states.

In the spring of 743 B.C. Tiglath-pileser led his army across the
Euphrates and reached Arpad without meeting with any resistance. The
city appears to have opened its gates to him although it was in the
kingdom of Mati-ilu, who acknowledged Urartian sway. Its foreign
garrison was slaughtered. Well might Sharduris exclaim, in the words
of the prophet, "Where is the king of Arpad? where are the gods of
Arpad?"[504]

Leaving Arpad, Tiglath-pileser advanced to meet Sharduris, who was
apparently hastening southward to attack the Assyrians in the rear.
Tiglath-pileser, however, crossed the Euphrates and, moving northward,
delivered an unexpected attack on the Urartian army in Qummukh. A
fierce battle ensued, and one of its dramatic incidents was a single
combat between the rival kings. The tide of battle flowed in Assyria's
favour, and when evening was falling the chariots and cavalry of
Urartu were thrown into confusion. An attempt was made to capture King
Sharduris, who leapt from his chariot and made hasty escape on
horseback, hotly pursued in the gathering darkness by an Assyrian
contingent of cavalry. Not until "the bridge of the Euphrates" was
reached was the exciting night chase abandoned.

Tiglath-pileser had achieved an overwhelming victory against an army
superior to his own in numbers. Over 70,000 of the enemy were slain or
taken captive, while the Urartian camp with its stores and horses and
followers fell into the hands of the triumphant Assyrians.
Tiglath-pileser burned the royal tent and throne as an offering to
Ashur, and carried Sharduris's bed to the temple of the goddess of
Nineveh, whither he returned to prepare a new plan of campaign against
his northern rival.

Despite the blow dealt against Urartu, Assyria did not immediately
regain possession of north Syria. The shifty Mati-ilu either cherished
the hope that Sharduris would recover strength and again invade north
Syria, or that he might himself establish an empire in that region.
Tiglath-pileser had therefore to march westward again. For three years
he conducted vigorous campaigns in "the western land", where he met
with vigorous resistance. In 740 B.C. Arpad was captured and Mati-ilu
deposed and probably put to death. Two years later Kullani and Hamath
fell, and