The son of Sargon II, he devoted much of his reign to suppressing revolts in various parts of his empire, including Babylon, which he sacked in 689. In 701 he put down a Jewish rebellion, laying siege to Jerusalem but sparing it from destruction (according to 2 Kings 19:35) after an epidemic of illness amongst his forces. He rebuilt and extended the city of Nineveh and made it his capital, and also initiated irrigation schemes and other civil engineering projects.