THEME: Looking into the future DIVINATION AND SEDITION IN THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE
Esarhaddon (r. 680–669 BC) came to the Assyrian throne after his father, Sennacherib, was assassinated by his own sons. The two months that followed saw an armed struggle between Esarhaddon and his brothers. Esarhaddon emerged victorious, and in the aftermath, put many of their co-conspirators to the sword.
Assyrian kingship & divine punishment
Sennacherib's murder was sufficiently scandalous that it was recorded in the Hebrew Bible. The biblical version of events presents Sennacherib's fate as a divine punishment from the god YHWH. The god was angry with Sennacherib for campaigning against Judah. Similarly, a literary composition, found at the Assyrian capital of Nineveh (modern Mosul), portrays the king's death as the result of his failure to respect the gods of Babylonia.
The fact that a successful plot against the Assyrian king's life was viewed by multiple groups as a divine judgement, reflects fundamental beliefs
