Portal:Ancient Near East/Selected article/1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sargon of Akkad founded the Dynasty of Akkad, and created the Akkadian Empire. Famous for his conquest of the Sumerian city-states in the 23rd centuries BC, Sargon reigned for 56 years, ca. 2270 BC – 2215 BC (short chronology).
Early in his career, he was as a prominent member of the royal court of Kish, ultimately overthrowing its king before embarking on the conquest of Mesopotamia. Sargon's vast empire is known to have extended from Elam to the Mediterranean sea, including Mesopotamia, parts of modern-day Iran and Syria, and possibly parts of Anatolia and the Arabian peninsula. He ruled from a new capital, Akkad (Agade), which the Sumerian king list claims he built (or possibly renovated), on the left bank of the Euphrates. Sargon is regarded as one of the first individuals in recorded history to create a multiethnic, centrally ruled empire, and his dynasty controlled Mesopotamia for around a century and a half.
