Akkadian Empire (2334-2193)

The "god" Naram-Sin trampling his foes

The Akkadians were a Semitic people that occupied central Mesopotamia, the area that later came to be called Babylonia. Akkad was the first Semitic empire to attain power. This period is sometimes called the Sargonic.

Agade:
The city is called Akkad in the Bible, hence the name of the empire and the language. Sargon established it as his capital. It was destroyed when the dynasty was overthrown and was never inhabited again. It's location has never has been found. We do know that it was in the general vicinity of Babylon. Some scholars have speculated that it may even be under Babylon itself. Akkad's tutelary deity was Ishtar.

Sargon the Great (Sharru-Kin) (2334-2279)-The actual spelling of his name was Sharru-Kin. According to legend his mother was a "changeling", which may mean a priestess prostitute, possibly of Kish. His father was either unknown or a gardener, and he was set adrift on the river and rescued like Moses. Originally he was royal cup-bearer to Ur-Zababa, King of Kish. Ur- Zababa was defeated in battle by Lugalzaggessi and Kish was occupied. Sargon moved to Agade to build his power base. He either built Agade, or more probably, rebuilt or fortified it. After consolidating his power he attacked Uruk and razed its walls. He next defeated a coalition of 50 Ensis, probably all of Sumer, along with the remaining Urukite army. It is at this point that Lugalzaggessi returned with his army, as he had been away campaigning. Sargon defeated him and brought Lugalzaggessi in chains to Nippur. He then quickly conquered Ur and the rest of Sumer. When he reached the Persian Gulf, he ritually washed his weapons in it. He called himself the "Great Ensi of Enlil" to show that he respected Sumerian traditions. Next he marched on Assyria, Mari, Iarmuti, and Ebla, conquering them all. His western conquests brought him "to the cedar Forests and the silver mountains", that is Lebanon and the Taurus mountains. Finally, he subjected Elam, Barakhshi, and western Iran. The war with the Elamites was tough. Eventually they were defeated and Susa made the capital of the Akkadian viceroy and Akkadian was imposed as the new language of Elam. Sargon called himself "King of the Lands" and "King of the Four Quarters". He was not only a great military leader, but also an ingenious administrator. He appointed Semites to high administrative offices and posted all-Akkadian garrisons in the major cities. He appointed his daughter Enheduanna as chief priestess of Nanna of Ur and as a ritual representative of Inanna of Uruk. According to legend he also sent expeditions to Anatolia, Egypt, Ethiopia, and India, but this is not proven, and in the case of Ethiopia and India, highly doubtful. Although in the case of India, the Indus (or Harrapan) civilization did trade with Agade and sent ships to dock there. A later Babylonian legend says that "all the Land" revolted against him late in his reign and besieged him in Agade, but he was victorious. His reign was the first time that texts were written entirely in Akkadian. From his reign, a new kind of political ideal began to evolve, one that was different from the city-state concept.
Rimush (2279-2270)-Son of Sargon. Upon ascension he put down rebellions in Ur, Umma, Adab, Der, Lagash, and Kazallu in Sumer, and Elam and Barakhshi in Iran but he probably lost Syria. Palace intrigue led to his assassination, possibly by supporters of his brother. He was assassinated by having his head bashed in by a clay tablet.

Manishtushu (2270-2255)-Either Rimush's older brother or his twin. The power of the Empire continued to wane. He had to put down a coalition of 32 rebel kings. However, he did retain control of Assyria and Sumer and he invaded the Oman region and defeated the local kings. Court documents record him buying land from private citizens, so the Kings were not absolute and they did not control all the land. An inscription was found during the reign of the Assyrian king Shamshi-Adad I that stated that Manishtushu founded the famous temple of Ishtar in Nineveh. He died in a palace revolt.

Naram-Sin (2255-2218)-Son of Manishtushu. H defeated a rebel coalition in Sumer and re- established Akkadian power. Naram-Sin pushed the boundaries of the Empire to the Zagros mountains. He re-conquered Syria, Lebanon, and the Taurus mountains, destroying Aleppo and Mari in the process. The Oman area revolted and Naram-Sin had to invade and defeat their King , Mandannu. He also invaded Armenia as far as Dierbakir. He called himself the "King of the Four Quarters" and the "God of Agade". He is the proto-typical Oriental Monarch, and the first Mesopotamian king to declare himself divine. He appointed daughters as priestess' and sons as governors. Even with all this military expansion and glory, he did have to continually put down rebellions. In fact, the Lullubi, a people of the Zagros mountains, successfully pushed out the Akkadians under their king Annubanin a short time after Naram-Sin had subjugated them. Gutians invaded at the end of his reign and caused destruction and the break down of communications. The invasion was said by the Sumerians to be divine judgement for Naram-Sin's destruction of Enlil's temple at Nippur. The only account of this desecration is from hundreds of years after the fact. Did his reign end in disaster? A text called the "Cuthean Legend of Naram-Sin" shows the king "bewildered, confused, sunk in gloom, sorrowful, exhausted" from an overwhelming invasion. The legend is from a later period, so it is suspect. However, he was the last great Akkadian King and the Gutians were beginning to invade the land.
Shar-Kali-Sharri (2218-2193)-Son of Naram-Sin. He tried to shore up the Empire and undo the damage caused by his father. Shar-Kali-Sharri fought well to preserve the realm and he won numerous battles, including one against the Amorites in Syria. Texts from his reign are the first to mention Babylon and the Amorites. He is called "the builder of the Ekur, the house of Enlil", a confirmation of Naram-Sin's destruction? The governor of Elam declared independence, threw off the Akkadian language and declared himself the "King of the Universe". He continually had to fight the Lullubi, Amorites, and Gutians. The Hurrians also contested with him for Assyria and northern Syria. Sumer exploded in revolt. The Empire disintegrated under rebellion and invasion. He ended up ruling only the city of Agade and its environs. He is called the King of Agade, instead of earlier grandiose claims and he was killed in a palace revolt. His reign signaled the end of the Empire.