The area most involved in the conflict with Urarṭu was, however, the northern and northeastern border of Assyria, as clearly stated in Sargon's inscriptions. The conflict was centred on supremacy over the wide territories of Mannea, which was subjected to the pressure of the two empires, either in the form of internal dissention between pro-Assyrian and pro-Urarṭian parties, or more directly through the direct conflict of the Assyrian and Urarṭian armies. The climax of the war was reached with the campaign conducted by Sargon in his eighth year (714) and described vividly in his famous letter to the god Aššur. This campaign led to a heavy defeat of the Urarṭians, which the Assyrian sources describe as having taken place on Mount Wauš, to the pillaging of a number of Urarṭian provinces, and finally to the sack of the city of Muṣaṣir with its temple of the Urarṭian national god Haldi, whose statue was abducted to Assyria.
A large group of letters, written by many different persons, pertains to these developments. The bulk of the correspondence comes from Aššur-rešuwa, an Assyrian official residing in the city of Kumme; but reports are extant also from the Assyrian crown prince Sennacherib (who often acted as a substitute for his father during the latter's absence from Assyria), from vassal rulers, and from various officials. Unfortunately, once again there are only slim chances of ever firmly dating the letters in this group. As is well known, virtually no Neo-Assyrian letters contain a date; therefore, only internal analysis of content, with all the problems that are involved in this procedure, may give clues in this direction.
Giovanni B. Lanfranchi
Giovanni B. Lanfranchi, 'The Northern and Eastern Sectors', The Correspondence of Sargon II, Part II: Letters from the Northern and Northeastern Provinces, SAA 5. Original publication: Helsinki, Helsinki University Press, 1990; online contents: SAAo/SAA05 Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2020 [http://oracc.org/saao/saa05/warwithurartu/northernandeasternsectors/]