Akkadian Empire
The Akkadian Empire (/əˈkeɪdiən/) was the first known ancient empire of Mesopotamia, succeeding the long-lived civilization of Sumer. Centered on the city of Akkad (/ˈækæd/) and its surrounding region, the empire would unite Akkadian and Sumerian speakers under one rule and exercised significant influence across Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Anatolia, sending military expeditions as far south as Dilmun and Magan (modern United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman) in the Arabian Peninsula.
| c. 2334 – 2154 BC (180 years) | |||||||||
Bronze head of an Akkadian ruler, discovered in Nineveh in 1931, presumably depicting either Sargon or, more probably, Sargon's grandson Naram-Sin. | |||||||||
Map of the Akkadian Empire (brown) and the directions in which military campaigns were conducted (yellow arrows) | |||||||||
| Capital | Akkad | ||||||||
| Official languages |
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| Common languages | Akkadian Sumerian | ||||||||
| Religion | Ancient Mesopotamian religion | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| Šarrum (Kings) | |||||||||
• c. 2334–2279 BC | Sargon (first) | ||||||||
• c. 2170–2154 BC | Shu-turul (last) | ||||||||
| Historical era | Bronze Age | ||||||||
• Established | c. 2334 BC | ||||||||
• Conquests of Sargon of Akkad | c. 2340 – 2284 BC | ||||||||
• Disestablished | c. 2154 BC | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
| 2350 BC | 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi) | ||||||||
| 2300 BC | 650,000 km2 (250,000 sq mi) | ||||||||
| 2250 BC | 800,000 km2 (310,000 sq mi) | ||||||||
| 2200 BC | 250,000 km2 (97,000 sq mi) | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Iraq Iran Syria Turkey | ||||||||
The Akkadian Empire reached its political peak between the 24th and 22nd centuries BC, following the conquests by its founder Sargon of Akkad. Under Sargon and his successors, the Akkadian language was briefly imposed on neighboring conquered states such as Elam and Gutium. Akkad is sometimes regarded as the first empire in history, though the meaning of this term is not precise, and there are earlier Sumerian claimants.