The Akkadians were a group of Semitic people of the Arabian Peninsula at the time when the great Sumerian city-states were flourishing. These people eventually migrated north, where they encountered the Sumerians. Around 2350 BC, an Akkadian military leader, Sargon (sharukkin-“the rightful ruler”) conquered the Sumerian city-states and built an Akkadian empire, creating the world’s first empire. It included most of Sumer and extended as far as Lebanon, Syria, Anatolia, and western Iran. Akkad (from Agade) was the capital, which became the basis of the town’s name and language.
The Akkadian Empire had a centralized government under the authority of the king, the royal court, and the high class of priests. Sargon was primarily responsible for this development. A strong economy was the foundation of the empire, and Sargon and his court were in the midst of economic activity, unlike Sumer, where the priests had more of a say in economic affairs. Its economy was heavily dependent on agriculture; their farmland was highly productive thanks to an efficient irrigation system. The productivity of its farmlands allowed the empire’s population to increase. Its agricultural products were plentiful, but the empire lacked everything else. Timber, metal ores, and building stones had to be imported. Sargon’s military conquests, however, expanded the boundaries of the empire, eventually including the regions that were sources of these precious products. The king brought great wealth to the empire, spawning a large number of bureaucrats and administrators, in the process creating the first bureaucratic organization. This bureaucracy allowed him to run the empire more efficiently.
The Akkadian civilization was an extension of the Sumerian civilization; their society was similar to that of the Sumerians. The status of women in general was similar to that of women in Sumer, although the legend of the “sacred woman” began during this period. Sargon even named his daughter enheduanna as high priestess of the goddess inana. By the way, enheduanna he may have been the world’s first published poet. His poems, which praise gods and goddesses, are estimated to be around 4,300 years old.
The Sumerian gods and goddesses were given Akkadian names. However, the role of the temple priests and priestesses was diminished. Sargon became the mediator between the people and their gods and goddesses. These gods and goddesses had human form and human qualities; they can be silly, smart, shy, funny, jealous, or angry. These deities were derived from nature, which was understandable considering that life in Mesopotamia was controlled by nature. In trying to understand nature, they gave human forms to the forces of nature. So, they had Yearthe god of heaven, enlilthe air god, lullabythe god of the moon, and utu the sun god. The Mesopotamians believed that these gods created the universe and everything in it, including, of course, humans. They also believed that men and women were created by the gods to serve the gods, to sacrifice to them, dress them, honor them, and obey them. This religion, however, had no laws on ethics or morality. Good and evil were left for people to discover on their own. Humanity, according to the early Mesopotamians, exists to serve the gods, who were responsible for the smooth running of the affairs of humanity and the world in general. They ruled the world through their representative; in the Akkadian civilization, this meant Sargon.
In addition to having a comparatively sophisticated agriculture that included irrigation and the use of plows, the Akkadians had also discovered a method of casting bronze. They also used mud bricks in the construction of houses and temples, and had an advanced pottery industry.
Formal education during this time was practical and aimed primarily at training priests and scribes. Education started from basic reading, writing and religion, then higher studies in law, medicine and astrology. Upper-class youth were generally groomed to become scribes, from copyists to librarians to teachers. Excavations also revealed that schools for priests were as numerous as temples, indicating not only the importance of priests in Mesopotamian society, but also the thoroughness of priestly training.
The art of the Mesopotamian people, including the Akkadians, had reached a high degree of refinement during this period; a bronze head of a king, believed by scholars to be Sargon’s, was excavated in Nineveh (former capital of the Assyrian empire). It is believed that it was around 2300 to 2200 BC. This head is considered one of the great masterpieces of ancient art. Another example are the two cylinder seals dating from the time of Sargon, which are among the most beautiful examples of their kind. A relief sculpture of naram sin (Sargon’s grandson) shows it in one of his military triumphs. Many clay tablets that were excavated at various sites in Iraq contained literature from the ancient Mesopotamians, mostly poems and hymns to their gods and goddesses.
Sargon reigned for fifty-six years (from 2335 to 2279 BC) and was succeeded by his son Rimush, who was later killed in a palace revolt. Another son, Manishtushu, was also killed in another palace riot. The last king of the Akkadian dynasty, which lasted for about a century, was Naram-Sin, and he was the first to claim kingship by divine right. His downfall, and that of the entire empire, was thought to have been due to the invading armies from the east, called Gutians. However, recent finds found evidence that a 300-year drought was the main cause of the empire’s demise.
Scientists discovered evidence that the fall of the Akkadian Empire began around 2200 BC. This civilization was heavily dependent on agriculture; a drought that occurred during this period severely weakened production and subsequently caused the fall of the empire. People fled and moved south, where agriculture was still sustainable. There was a revival of the former glory of the Sumerians, but it did not last long. Finally, new conquerors followed in Sargon’s footsteps and unified the city-states of the Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia).
