Colorized drawing of a wall relief of from the place of Sargon II. Assyrian archers mount an attack on Ekron, one of the cities in the Philistine Pentapolis. The Assyrian king Sargon II (reigned 722-705 BC) was one of the chief architects of the late Assyrian Empire and the founder of its greatest line of kings. The Assyrian army was mostly divided into two large groups of soldiers, infantry and archers. The archers wore a conical helmet most likely made of bronze in the early years and later made from iron. The archers wore a short sleeved, ankle length, body armor referred to as lamellar. The archers had dedicated shield bearers to protect them.