Sargon of Akkad

Sargon of Akkad, or Sargon the Great (Akkadian Sharru-kin ܫܪܘܟܢ, "the true king", reigned 2334 BC - 2279 BC, short chronology), founder of the Dynasty of Akkad. Sometimes he is referred to Sargon I. He is only the third king in recorded history to have created an empire, after the Sumerians Lugal-anne-mundu and Lugal-zage-si. Sargon's vast empire is known to have extended from Elam to the Mediterranean sea, including Mesopotamia and possibly parts of Anatolia. He ruled from a new capital, Akkad, situated on the left bank of the Euphrates, between Sippar and Kish.

Origins and rise to power

Sargon made such an impression on Mesopotamia that his figure became associated with many legends. The Sumerian literature known as "the Sargon legend" is believed to be a text describing Sargon's life. However, most of the text is missing. The surviving fragments name Sargon's father as La'ibum. After a lacuna, the text skips to Ur-Zababa, king of Kish, awake after a dream. For unknown reasons, Ur-Zababa then appoints Sargon as his cupbearer. Soon after this, king Ur-Zababa requested Sargon to his chambers to discuss a dream he felt Sargon had. Sargon's dream involved the favor of the goddess Inanna and the drowning of Ur-Zababa by the goddess. Deeply frightened, Ur-Zababa tries to get Sargon murdered by the hands of Belic-tikal, the chief smith, but Inanna prevents it, demanding that Sargon stop at the gates because of his being "polluted with blood." When Sargon returned to Ur-Zababa, the king became frightened again, and decided to send Sargon to king Lugal-zage-si of Uruk with a message on a clay tablet about murdering Sargon. (The legend appears to be lost at this point; presumably it describes how Sargon becomes king). From the Sumerian king list: "In Agade ^*, Sargon, whose father was a gardener, the cupbearer of Ur-Zababa, became king, the king of Agade, who built Agade; he ruled for 56 years." Confusingly, Ur-Zababa and Lugal-zage-si are both listed as kings, but several generations apart - perhaps Ur-Zababa is supposed to have lived on in the palace of Kish long after losing the kingship of Sumer.

The Assyrian king list calls him "Sargon the Assyrian", son of Ikunum, and reckons him as one of their Empire's founders. A Neo-Assyrian text (7th century BC) describes his birth and his early childhood:

My mother was a changeling, my father I knew not. The brothers of my father loved the hills. My city is Azupiranu, which is situated on the banks of the Euphrates. My changeling mother conceived me, in secret she bore me. She set me in a basket of rushes, with bitumen she sealed my lid. She cast me into the river which rose over me. The river bore me up and carried me to Akki, the drawer of water. Akki, the drawer of water, took me as his son and reared me. Akki, the drawer of water, appointed me as his gardener. While I was a gardener, Ishtar granted me her love, and for four and ^* years I exercised kingship. (King 1907: 87-96)

Rule over the Near East

While it is unknown exactly how Sargon came to power, he soon attacked Uruk, where reigned Lugal-zage-si of Umma. Lugal-zage-si, with fifty ensis under his command, was defeated, captured and brought to Kish "in a carcan" and exposed at Enlil’s gate. Sargon then attacked and crushed Ur, Lagash and Umma. He made a symbolic gesture, washing his hands in the "lower sea" (Persian Gulf), to show that he had conquered Sumer in its entirety.

The governors chosen by Sargon to administer the main city-states of Sumer were Akkadians, not Sumerians. Semitic Akkadian became the lingua franca, the official language of inscriptions in all Mesopotamia, and of great influence far beyond.

The former religious institutions of Sumer, already well-known and emulated by the Semites, were respected; his daughter Enheduanna, the author of several Akkadian hymns, was made priestess of Nanna the moon-god of Ur. He also called himself "anointed priest of Anu" and "great ensi of Enlil".

Wars in the east

Sargon defeated the four leaders of Elam, led by the king of Awan. Their cities were sacked; the governors, viceroys and kings of Susa, Barhashe, and neighboring districts became vassals of Akkad, and the Akkadian language made official. In fact, it began, consciously or not, the Semitization of Sumer that finally brought about the end of the Sumerian people, at least as an identifiable political and ethnic entity.

Wars in the west

Sargon captured Mari, Yarmuti and Ebla as far as the Cedar Forest (Amanus) and the silver mountain (Taurus). Commerce routes were secured, and supplies of wood and precious metals could be safely and freely floated down the Euphrates to Akkad.

The text known as "Epic of the King of the Battle" depicts Sargon advancing deep into the heart of Asia Minor to protect merchants from the exactions of the King of Burushanda (Purshahanda). It is also mentioned that Sargon crossed the Sea of the West (Mediterranean Sea) and ended up in Cyprus. Ancient writers saw Sargon as the king who had said:

Now, any king who wants to call himself my equal, wherever I went, let him go. (Nougayrol: 169)

Late period

A late Babylonian chronicle says:

In his old age, all lands revolted against him, and they besieged Akkad. But Sargon went forth to battle and defeated them; he knocked them over and destroyed their vast army. Later, Subartu in their might attacked, but they submitted to his arms, and Sargon settled their habitations, and he smote them grievously. (King 1907: 3)

Sargon was succeeded by his sons, Rimush and Manishtushu.

External links

The Sargon legend: translation - http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr214.htm - Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Fluckiger-Hawker, E, Robson, E., and Zólyomi, G., The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/), Oxford 1998- .

References

A. Deimel, Die Inschriften von Fara, Leipzig, 1922-24;
R. Jestin, Tablettes Sumériennes de Shuruppak, Paris, 1937;
R.D. Biggs, Inscriptions from Tell Abu Salabikh, Chicago, 1974;
M. Alotte De La Fuye, Documents présargoniques, Paris, 1908-20;
E. Solllberger, Corpus des Inscriptions 'Royales' Présargoniques de Lagash, Paris, 1956,
H. Frankfort, 'Town planning in ancient Mesopotamia', Town Planning Review, 21 (1950), p 104;
Igor Diakonov, 'On the area and population of the Sumerian city-State', VDI (1950), 2, pp. 77-93;
A. Parrot, Mari, Capitale Fabuleuse, Paris, 1974;
A. Parrot, Le temple d'Ishtar, Paris, 1956;
A. Parrot, Les temples d'Ishtarat et de Ninni-zaza, Paris, 1967;
G. Roux, Ancient Iraq, London, 1980;
S. Noah Kramer, The Sumerians: Their History, Culture and Character, Chicago, 1963.
L. W. King, Chronicles Concerning Early Babylonian Kings, II, London, 1907, pp.3ff; 87-96;
J. Nougayrol, Revue Archeologique, XLV (1951), pp. 169 ff.

Assyrian kings | Sumer | 24th century BC births | 2279 BC deaths

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