In the next section the king glorifies himself, enumerating his royal titles as follows:  “Tiglath-Pileser, the powerful king, king of the people of various tongues; king of the four regions; king of all kings; lord of lords; the supreme (?); monarch of monarchs; the illustrious chief, who, under the auspices of the Sun-god, being armed with the sceptre and girt with the girdle of power over mankind, rules over all the people of Bel; the mighty prince, whose praise is blazoned forth among the kings; the exalted sovereign, whose servants Asshur has appointed to the government of the four regions, and whose name he has made celebrated to posterity; the conqueror of many plains and mountains of the Upper and Lower country; the victorious hero, the terror of whose mane has overwhelmed all regions; the bright constellation who, as he wished, has warred against foreign countries, and under the auspices of Bel—­there being no equal to him—­has subdued the enemies of Asshur.”

The royal historian, after this introduction, proceeds to narrate his actions first in general terms declaring that he has subdued all the lands and the peoples round about, and then proceeding to particularize the various campaigns which he had conducted during the first five years of his reign.  The earliest of these was against the Muskai, or Moschians, who are probably identical with the Meshech of Holy Scripture—­a people governed (it is said) by five kings, and inhabiting the countries of Alzi and Purukhuz, parts (apparently) of Taurus or Niphates.  These Moschians are said to have neglected for fifty years to pay the tribute due from them to the Assyrians, from which it would appear that they had revolted during the reign of Asshur-dayan, having previously been subject to Assyria.  At this time, with a force amounting to 20,000 men, they had invaded the neighboring district of Qummukh (Commagene), an Assyrian dependency, and had made themselves masters of it.  Tiglath-Pileser attacked them in this newly-conquered country, and completely defeated their army.  He then reduced Commagene, despite the assistance which the inhabitants received from some of their neighbors.  He burnt the cities, plundered the temples, ravaged the open country, and carried off, either in the shape of plunder or of tribute, vast quantities of cattle and treasure.

The character of the warfare is indicated by such a passage as the following: 

“The country of Kasiyara, a difficult region, I passed through.  With their 20,000 men and their five kings, in the country of Qummukh I engaged.  I defeated them.  The ranks of their warriors in fighting the battle were beaten down as if by the tempest.  Their carcasses covered the valleys and the tops of the mountains, I cut off their heads.  Of the battlements of their cities I made heaps, like mounds of earth (?).  Their moveables, their wealth, and their valuables I plundered to a countless amount.  Six thousand of their common soldiers, who fled before my servants, and accepted my yoke, I took and gave over to the men of my own territory as slaves.”