Akkadian Empire

The Akkadian Empire was probably the first true empire the world had ever seen. Some say that the Sumerians where the first empire-builders since they were the first builders of cities and probably the first nation of the world, arguing that while the Sumerians created the first nation, they did not expand enough to forge an empire. Although a precise definition (It is for this reason that Ancient Egypt is not in consideration for the first empire. Over the three-thousand year reign of the ancient Egyptians, since Egypt was always Egypt, the lush Nile isolated by the surrounding desert.)

The Akkadian Empire takes its name from the ancient city-state of Akkad — the city and lands ruled by the Akkadian king — Sargon of Akkad. Sargon allegedly ruled for 56 years, during which time he continually expanded the empire by conquering peripheral lands. Town after town and city after city he conquered, rolling in with his large, powerful, and experience army, forcing the people into submission. He installed nobles from his home city-state of Akkad as the leader of each foreign state he conquered, to ensure loyalty.

At its zenith, his power reached from the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains of Anatolia to the northwest. There is some indication he even made it to Cyprus. During his rule, trade throughout the empire flourished mightily, the city-states becoming wealthier than they probably ever had been. Over the course of the the Akkadian period the common tongue of the empire shifted from Sumerian to Akkadian, a sign that supremacy had changed. [1]

Around a century after the time of Sargon, the infamous Naram-Sin came to rule. One poem from the time. He is remembered as a tyrant.

While it shone brightly, the empire forged by Sargon the Great was not to last. After like only 180 years after its founding, the Akkadian Empire fell. Nobody is actually sure why the Akkadian Empire fell exactly. A mountain-people called the Gutians had entered Mesopotamia and taken Adab — a prominent Sumerian city from the Early Dynastic Period — as their home. Eventually they took control of Mesopotamia, and created the Gutian Dynasty. When Ur-Nammu rose to power, he became king of Sumer

Notes

Sargon of Akkad

During the reign of Sargon of Akkad, trade flourished across Mesopotamia. While he forged the empire with violence, conquering with force if he met resistance, ultimately a new level of interconnection within a region was achieved, a new degree of what is meant by a “nation”. The largest the world had yet seen. He consolidated all of the independant city-states under his rule, into a single political unity. Within the borders of his empire he had access to lapis lazuli from the mines of Afghanistan to the northeast, silver from the mines of Anatolia to the north. From Lebanon on the Mediterranean coast the famous “cedars of Lebanon” became his, and copper from the little-known civilization of Magan (which his found in Oman).

There is also an ancient connection between the Akkadian Empire and the Indus Valley Civilization.

Naram Sin

Naram Sin (2254–2218 BCE) was an ancient king of the Akkadian Empire. His grandfather was Sargon the Great.

His rule over the “four-quarters” of his empire frought with instability. There were revolts at the start of his reign, which he quelled.

Many things changed during his rule. This is the first time that we see…

The Gutian Dynasty of Sumer

The Akkadian Empire probably fell in the 22nd century BCE. It seems that it fractured politically under its own weight. Ancient Egypt endured for more than three-thousand years with suprising stability. However, this empire was far larger. Little is truly known of the fall since there are very few records for this period (in and of itself indicating the turmoil and uncertainty of this time).

Resources

• Akkadian Empire. Wikipedia. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akkadian_Empire>. Accessed 28 Nov 2023.