monarch found himself free to take his own course, he proceeded at once (B.C. 680) against these two rebels.  Both of them tried to escape him.  Abd-Melkarth, quitting his capital, fled away by sea, steering probably either for Aradus or for Cyprus.  Sanduarri took refuge in his mountain fastnesses.  But Esarhaddon was not to be baffled.  He caused both chiefs to be pursued and taken.  “Abd-Melkarth,” he says,[14161] “who from the face of my solders into the middle of the sea had fled, like a fish from out of the sea, I caught, and cut off his head . . .  Sanduarri, who took Abd-Melkarth for his ally, and to his difficult mountains trusted, like a bird from the midst of the mountains, I caught and cut off his head.”  Sidon was very severely punished.  Esarhaddon boasts that he swept away all its subject cities, uprooted its citadel and palace, and cast the materials into the sea, at the same time destroying all its habitations.  The town was plundered, the treasures of the palace carried off, and the greater portion of the population deported to Assyria.  The blank was filled up with “natives of the lands and seas of the East”—­prisoners taken in Esarhaddon’s war with Babylon and Elam, who, like the Phoenicians themselves at a remote time, exchanged a residence on the shores of the Persian Gulf for one on the distant Mediterranean.  An Assyrian general was placed as governor over the city, and its name changed from Sidon to “Ir-Esarhaddon.”

It seems to have been in the course of the same year that Esarhaddon held one of those courts, or durbars, in Syria, which all subject monarchs were expected to attend, and whereat it was the custom that they should pay homage to their suzerain.  Hither flocked almost all the neighbouring monarchs[14162]—­Manasseh, king of Judah, Qavus-gabri, king of Ammon, Zilli-bel, king of Gaza, Mitinti of Askelon, Ikasamsu of Ekron, Ahimelek of Ashdod, together with twelve kings of the Cyprians, and three Phoenician monarchs, Baal, king of Tyre, Milki-asaph, king of Gebal, and Mattan-baal, king of Arvad.  Tribute was paid, home rendered, and after a short sojourn at the court, the subject-monarchs were dismissed.  The foremost position in Esarhaddon’s list is occupied by “Baal, king of Tyre;” and this monarch appears to have been received into exceptional favour.  He had perhaps been selected by Esarhaddon to rule Southern Phoenicia on the execution of Abd-Melkarth.  At any rate, he enjoyed for some time the absolute confidence and high esteem of his suzerain.  If we may venture to interpret a mutilated inscription,[14163] he furnished Esarhaddon with a fleet, and manned it with his own sailors.  Certainly, he received from Esarhaddon a considerable extension of his dominions.  Not only was his authority over Accho recognised and affirmed, but the coast tract south of Carmel, as far as Dor, the important city Gebal, and the entire region of Lebanon, were placed under his sovereignty.[14164] The date assigned to these events is between B.C. 680 and B.C.