He destroyed the
fortifications of Babylon to ensure that they should not again be used
against himself, and all the inhabitants who did not at once submit to
his decrees he put co the sword. He then appointed his own officers
to rule the country and established his own system of administration,
adding to his previous title of "King of Assyria," those of "King of
Karduniash (i. e. Babylonia)" and "King of Sumer and Akkad." It was
probably from this period that he also adopted the title of "King of the
Poor Quarters of the World." As a mark of the complete subjugation of
their ancient foe, Tukulti-Ninib and his army carried back with them
to Assyria not only the captive Babylonian king, but also the statue of
Marduk, the national god of Babylon. This they removed from B-sagila,
his sumptuous temple in Babylon, and they looted the sacred treasures
from the treasure-chambers, and carried them off together with the spoil
of the city.
Tukulti-Ninib no doubt left a sufficient proportion of his army in
Babylon to garrison the city and support the governors and officials
into whose charge he committed the administration of the land, but he
himself returned to Assyria with the rich spoil of the campaign, and
it was probably as a use for this large increase of wealth and material
that he decided to found another city which should bear his own name and
perpetuate it for future ages.
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