Akkad

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Akkadians :: Akkadian

Akkad (or Agade) was a city and its region of northern Mesopotamia, situated on the left bank of the Euphrates, between Sippar and Kish (located in present-day Iraq, ca. 50 km south-west of the center of Baghdad, ). It reached the height of its power between the 24th and 22nd centuries BC, before the rise of Babylonia. The Akkadians were recognized as gifted warriors for their time, this reputation was probably attained for the Akkadians after the numerous conquests launched by King Sargon.

Akkad gave its name to the Akkadian language, reflecting use of akkadû ("in the language of Akkad") in the Old Babylonian period to denote the Semitic version of a Sumerian text.

History

The earliest records in Akkadian date to the time of Sargon of Akkad (23rd century BC). While Sargon is traditionally cited as the first ruler of a combined empire of Akkad and Sumer, more recent work suggests that a Sumerian expansion began under a previous king, Lugal-Zage-Si of Uruk. However, Sargon took this process further, conquering many of the surrounding regions to create an empire that reached as far as the Mediterranean Sea and Anatolia.

In the later Babylonian literature the name Akkad, together with Sumer, appears as part of the royal title, as in the Sumerian lugal Kengi (ki) Uru (ki) or Akkadian ar māt umeri u Akkadi, translating to "king of Sumer and Akkad", which appears to have meant simply "king of Babylonia".

Origin of the Name

The city of Akkad is mentioned once in the Old Testament (Genesis 10:10).

And the beginning of his (Nimrod's) kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. (KJV)

The Greek (LXX) spelling is Archad.

The name Agade is probably from the Sumerian language, appearing e.g. in the Sumerian king list, the later Assyro-Babylonian Semitic form Akkadû ("of or belonging to Akkad") probably being derived from Agade.

It is possible that the name AGA.DE means "Crown of Fire"Prince, "Materials for a Sumerian Lexicon", pp. 23, 73, Journal of Biblical Literature, 1906. in allusion to Ishtar, "the brilliant goddess", whose cult was observed in very early times in Agade. This is suggested by the writings of Nabonidus, whose recordI. Rawl. 69, col. ii. 48 and iii. 28. mentions that Ishtar worship of Agade was later superseded by that of the goddess Anunit, whose shrine was at Sippar. It is significant in this connection that there were two cities named Sippar, one under the protection of Shamash, the sun-god, and one under Anunit,suggesting proximity of Sippar and Agade. One theory held (as of 1911) was that Agade was situated opposite Sippar on the left bank of the Euphrates, and was probably the oldest part of the city of Sippar.

Notes

References

A. Leo Oppenheim, Ancient Mesopotamia: Portrait of a Dead Civilization

External links

Akkad History: from The History of the Ancient Near East

Babylonia | Assyria | Archaeological sites in Iraq | Cities of Antiquity | Destroyed cities

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History

Origin of the Name

Notes

References

See also

External links