It ’s a minute of a cliché to say empiresrise and evenfall , but have you ever wondered what the oldest empire in recorded story was ? Well that title seems to go to the Akkadian Empire , the first roll in the hay transnational imperium in the humanity .
The Akkadian Empire existed for a short time between 2334 - 2218 BCE , and was founded by Sargon the Great ( or Sargon of Akkad ) , in all likelihood its most celebrated ruler . But despite its relative poor existence , this ancient empire set a ambit of human race “ firsts ” that were replicate and standardized by later rulers .
center on the urban center of Akkad , the Akkadian Empire unite the region of southernMesopotamia(ancient Iraq ) that had previously been ruled by contend city states ( include Ur , Uruk , Lagash , Kish , Mari and Ebla ) , each with its own dynastic swayer ( a stop recognize as theEarly Dynastic , which existed from around 2900 to 2350 BCE ) .
This is one representation of the Akkadian Empire under the reign of Sargon, though it should be noted historians are still not sure where Akkad is.Image credit: Patrick Gray viaFlickr(CC BY-NC 2.0)
Akkad ( sometimes Agade ) has not yet been located by archaeologists , but it is thought to have been settle along the western bank of theEuphrates river , somewhere between the ancient city of Sippar and Kish . However , others think it was place between the cities of Mari and Babylon , while others consider it was elsewhere solely .
Regardless of where it was on the button , the city exert considerable influence over the surround region . Accordingto Sargon ( or his scribes ) , Akkadian control finally extended from the Persian Gulf through Asia Minor to the Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus . There are some , however , who debate that the empire extended as far as Crete , in forward-looking Greece .
By unify so many antecedently antagonistic states , Sargon and his successors were able-bodied to introducetraderoutes , allowinggoods to flowsafely from northerly Mesopotamia to the southward , via the Euphrates river . stableness in the region also permit for the developing ofart , lit , agriculture , and the science . And , for a shortsighted time , Akkadian became the lingua franca in the region , temporarily replacing Sumerian in all things but sacred ceremonies and rites .
Akkadian Empire soldiers on the victory stele of Naram-Sin, circa 2250 BCE.Image credit: Rama viaWikimedia Commons(CC BY-SA 2.0 FR)
The Akkadians even introduced the firstpostal system of rules , whereby clay pad of paper withcuneiformAkkadian script were encased in clay that was then marked with the name and speech of the intended recipients . The only way of life to “ open ” these mud gasbag was to discontinue them , which meant it was well-off to know if someone was reading your mail .
Sargon was a scheming rule , positioning his most trusted followers in position of influence across his territory – one of the more important being his daughter , Enheduanna , who became high-pitched Priestess of Inanna at Ur . Enheduanna , now recognized as the world ’s firstauthor , was able to assert significant influence through spiritual and cultural affairs due to her lieu .
Sargon himself reigned for 56 yr and was succeeded by his boy Rimush , who go on his policies . However , his other sovereignty was characterise by various rebellions from previously conquered urban center and a struggle to find order . Rimush only rule for nine years before he died and was succeed by his brother , Manishtusu , who also had to quench revolt in the early years of his sovereignty . How Manishtusu give out stay on unclear , but it is potential he was killed by his courtiers .
Then come Naram - Sin , Manishtusu ’s son . Naram - Sin is recognized as one of the sterling Akkadian rulers , albeit a controversial one , who dominate for 36 years and expanded the boundaries of the empire and carried out various military achievement .
According to legend , Naram - Sin ’s ambitions and hubris ( he referred to himself as a living god ) trouble the Akkadian pantheon and bring about divine retribution , which top to the devastation of Akkad during the reign of his son , Shar - Kali - Sarri . Like his ascendent , Shar - Kali - Sarri faced violent rebellion throughout his reign but , so the account goes , was finally defeated by an invading military unit of barbarians known as the Gutians , which ended the imperium and brought about a newdark age .
Although there is no historical evidence to support the more fantastical element of this account ( of form ) , historians and archaeologist now believeclimate changemay have conduce to the empire ’s collapse . In thismodern interpretationof events , mood change caused a famine that not only disturbed trade , but in the end weakened the imperium so that it could no longer manage with the various uprising or the eventual invasion .
The last kings of Akkad , Dudu and his son Shu - Turel , had no business leader comparable to the kings of the great empire . They could only extend their influence to the local sphere surrounding the metropolis . Their public figure are rarely associated with the fig of their past and finally even the city itself faded from retention , becoming just another fable and mystery .
