Sargon also means "true king," an appropriate name for someone who probably killed his brother to usurp the throne and had plenty of legitimacy problems as a re

Sargon also means "true king," an appropriate name for someone who probably killed his brother to usurp the throne and had plenty of legitimacy problems as a result. Moving the capital of the empire away from Kalhu to the newly-built fortress city of Dur-Sharrukin was in part an attempt to get away from his enemies and surround himself with loyal men. The capital Dur-Sharrukin was not destroyed in war. Rather, Sargon II died in battle and his body was not recovered, which was considered a very bad omen. This halted construction on the city and Sargon's successor, Sennacherib, moved the capitol yet again to Ninevah. It remained lightly used thereafter as an administrative center until it was abandoned at the fall of the empire. Part of the reason why Dur-Sharrukin was such a nice archeological site is because it wasn't destroyed in antiquity, but rather abandoned. (Modern war seems to have destroyed a lot there, how much is unclear.) Also, it was inhabited for about 100 years, so the stratigraphic record was really straightforward. If you find yourself in Chicago, you can see carved stone reliefs and a lamassu from the palace at Dur-Sharrukin at the Oriental Institute Museum at the University of Chicago.