The Great Invasion of Urartu

From Oldest Stories by James Bleckley

February 11, 2026 · 42 min · Season 3 · Episode 15

About this episode

This episode explores Sargon II's Great Invasion of Urartu and the military strategies of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.

In this episode of Oldest Stories, we cover Sargon II of Assyria and his most famous campaign: the Great Invasion of Urartu (714 BCE), centered on the extraordinary Assyrian text known as Sargon’s Letter to Ashur. This episode examines the Neo-Assyrian Empire, Assyrian military strategy, intelligence networks, and imperial warfare in the late 8th century BCE, drawing directly from Assyrian royal inscriptions, letters, and annals. We follow Sargon II (r. 722–705 BCE) from the construction of Dur-Sharrukin (Khorsabad) through his campaigns in Mannea, Zikirtu, Zamua, the Zagros Mountains, and deep into Urartian territory near Lake Van. Special attention is given to Assyrian spy networks and intelligence reports, including letters from the Assyrian agent Assur-resuwa, which provide rare, detailed insight into ancient espionage, reconnaissance, and military planning. The episode analyzes the Letter to Ashur, one of the most detailed narrative texts to survive from ancient Mesopotamia, describing Sargon’s march routes, logistics, road construction, mountain warfare, pitched battles, and large-scale destruction. We discuss how this text differs from typical Assyrian annals, why it was…

People in this episode

Host: James Bleckley

Topics covered

Assyrian military strategy
intelligence networks
imperial warfare
ancient espionage
Sargon II
Assyrian–Urartian rivalry

Keywords

Sargon II
Assyrian Empire
Urartu
military strategy
espionage
ancient warfare
Sargon’s Letter to Ashur

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Assyrian Empire

Books & works: Sargon’s Letter to Ashur

Places: Urartu, Dur-Sharrukin, Khorsabad, Mannea, Zikirtu, Zamua, Zagros Mountains, Lake Van