Akkad

Definition

Akkad was a city and region located on the western bank of the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia. It was the seat of the Akkadian civilization. Its most famous ruler, Sargon the Great, created a vast empire that went as far west as the Mediterranean Sea. The Akkadian Empire flourished for approximately 200 years, from 2350 - 2150 BC, eventually becoming part of the Babylonian Empire around 1790 BC.

Sargon and his sons were a powerful and dominant dynasty in Mesopotamia, ruling an empire based on political domination, taxation, and literacy. The Akkadian language became the predominant language for commerce and politics throughout the Middle Eastern region. The Akkadian economy depended greatly on the agriculture of the region, and during the “off season” – August through October – farmers were required to work for the city-state, maintaining irrigation and drainage systems.

In terms of technology, Akkad was responsible for much advancement in the region. This included a postal system, a property-surveying system, the first system of astronomical observations, as well as many fine examples of advancements in art and literature.

The rise of the Akkadian empire was hot and fast, and in the grand scheme of ancient Near Eastern history its dominance in Mesopotamia did not last long. Its collapse caused the Mesopotamian Dark Ages, a time of little progress in technology and culture.

Written by writer873, published 28 April 2011.

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Articles

• The Myth of Etana

  The Myth of Etana is the story of the Sumerian antediluvian King of Kish who ascends to heaven on an eagle to request the Plant of Birth from the gods so that he might have a son. That the myth is very old is attested to by cylinder seals depicting Etana on the eagle's back which date from the reign...

• The Mesopotamian Pantheon

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• The Evolution of Cuneiform Script

  The cuneiform script proper emerges out of pictographic proto-writing in the later 4th millennium BC. Mesopotamia's "proto-literate" period spans the 35th to 32nd centuries BC. The first documents unequivocally written in the Sumerian language date to the 31st century, found at Jemdet Nasr.The Sumerians...

• Sargon of Akkad

  The story of Sargon's birth and childhood is given in the "Sargon legend", a Sumerian text purporting to be Sargon's biography. The extant versions are incomplete, but the surviving fragments name Sargon's father as La'ibum. After a lacuna, the text skips to Ur-Zababa, king of Kish, who awakens after...

• Cuneiform Writing

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Illustrations

Akkad Books

• Atlas of Empires Peter Davidson New Holland Publishers Ltd (22 February 2011) Currently unavailable

• A History of Sumer and Akkad: An Account of the Early Races of Babylonia... Leonard King (02 October 2011) Currently unavailable

• Explanation of Ur, Sumer, Babylon, Mesopotamia, Assyria and Akkad Artifacts, Architecture... Maximillien de Lafayette Times Square Press. New York. Berlin (12 June 2011) Currently unavailable

• Sargon the Magnificent Mrs Sydney Bristowe Kessinger Publishing, LLC (10 March 2003) Price: $17.21

• Explanation of Ur, Sumer, Babylon, Mesopotamia, Assyria and Akkad Artifacts, Architecture... Maximillien de Lafayette Times Square Press. New York. Berlin (11 June 2011) Currently unavailable