Akkad was the first-known Empire of Mesopotamia and thrived from the end of the 24th century BCE to the beginning of the 22nd century BCE.

• It was established by Sargon of Akkad (2334–2279 BCE).

• Its location was unknown but researchers say it was located near modern Baghdad.

• He was able to conduct campaigns from western Iran to eastern Turkey because to his standing army.

Sargon’s two sons succeeded him, Rimush (2278–70 BCE) and Manishtushu (2269–55 BCE).

• By putting down uprisings and waging war from northern Syria to western Iran, they achieved military success on their own terms.

• Naram-Sin (2254–18 BCE) the son of Manishtushu, put the empire to its peak.

  • He established and held dominance from eastern Turkey to western Iran.

  • While still living, he declared himself to be divine.

Shar-kali-sharri (2217–2193 BCE), Naram-Sin’s son was mostly successful.

• However, towards the course of his reign, the Akkadian Empire only had a little state in northern Babylonia under its authority.

• Upon Shar-kalisharri’s passing, anarchy followed until order was reformed by Dudu (2189–2169 BCE) and Shu-Durul (2168– 2154 BCE).

• The downfall of the Akkadian Empire can be accounted by internal rebellions from local rulers as well as attacks from tribes such as the Elamites, Hurrians, Lullubi, Amorites, and Gutians.

• The Akkadian Empire established the level that Mesopotamian kings would strive to reach for the following two millennia.

• As a result, a lot of literature was published about the Akkadian kings, such as Sargon and Naram-Sin.

According to the Sargon Legend, which is based on his illegitimate birth, Sargon is initially imprisoned inside a reed basket in the Euphrates before being dragged out and raised as a gardener by a man by the name of Aqqi.

• Sargon rises to become the ruler of the first Mesopotamian state from this humble foundation.

• The King of Battle is another tale about Sargon traveling to Purushkhanda in central Turkey to save the merchants from oppression.

• After defeating the city's king, Nur-Daggal, the local leader is allowed to rule as long as he recognizes Sargon as king.

Naram-Sin is frequently portrayed as being inept and disobedient to the gods.

• In The Curse of Akkad, Naram-Sin decides to destroy the god Enlil's temple because the gods have refused to let him rebuild it.

• The Akkadian Empire is then shattered by the Gutians, sent by Enlil.

The Akkadian Empire had 25 more years of prosperity under Shar-kali-sharri after Naram-Sin passed away, and the Gutians weren't the main factor in the Akkadian Empire's decline.

• In actuality, there isn't any evidence of the Gutians interfering with the Akkadians until late in Shar-kali-sharri's rule.

• Although this tale served a significant didactic purpose, it demonstrates the need for caution when extrapolating the Akkadian Empire's history from myths and legends.

According to the Cuthean Legend, Naram-Sin ventures outside to battle a force that has encroached on the Akkadian Empire.

• Naram-Sin searches for an oracle regarding how the fight will turn out, but because it is unfavorable, he disregards it and mocks divination as a whole.

• In the Curse of Akkad, his disrespect of the gods brings him in problems as he is beaten three times by invasions. When he ultimately consults another oracle, the result is favorable.

• Naram-Sin has realized his mistake and declares, "I will not impose retribution without divination."

• Despite these stories, there are others that portray Naram-Sin as a successful ruler with strong military might.

Standardization goes hand in hand with a centralized administration.

• This featured Akkadian, an East Semitic language, gradually taking the place of Sumerian, a non-Semitic language, in official writings.

• Babylonia employed the dating by year names method up until 1500 BCE, when it was supplanted by dating by regnal years. Dating by year names involves naming each year after a specific event, such as "the year Sargon devastated Mari."

• Additionally, there was a standardized system of weights and measurements.

• To fund this centralized administration, taxes were gathered from every part of the empire.

• The Akkadian king elected governors in the lands his empire ruled, but frequently the local leader was just confirmed in office.

• The governor was required to swear loyalty to the Akkadian emperor and pay tribute, but on occasion, when the empire was vulnerable, the local leaders had the right to revolt and claim independence.

This ensured that the Akkadian rulers had to put down uprisings all the time.

• Enheduanna, the daughter of Sargon, was appointed as the chief priestess of the moon god Nanna at Ur, setting possibly the most significant precedent that the Akkadian Empire ever established.

• She is the earliest known author in Mesopotamia, having written two songs honoring the goddess Inanna.

• This gave the monarchy in southern Babylonia much-needed legitimacy it required, and Mesopotamian monarchs upheld it until the 6th century BCE.