Ancient Babylonia Glossary - Akkad
Ancient region of Mesopotamia, occupying the northern part of later Babylonia.
The southern part was Sumer. In both regions city-states had begun to appear
in the 4th millennium B.C. In Akkad a Semitic language, Akkadian, was spoken.
Akkad flourished after Sargon began (2340 B.C.) to spread wide his conquests,
which ranged from his capital, Agade, also known as Akkad, to the Mediterranean
shores. He united city-states into a vast organized empire. Furthermore, he was
overlord of all the petty states of Sumer and Akkad, as were his successors,
most notably Naramsin. The merit of Sargonic art can be seen in the stele of
Naramsin. The naturalistic sculpture, depicting a wide range of mythological scenes,
reflected a high achievement in glyptic art. After more than a century the
empire declined and was overrun by mountain tribes. When the Akkadian empire had
fallen, Mesopotamia was in chaos. Peace was maintained only in the south in the
city-state of Lagash under Gudea. Lagash was later absorbed by the 3rd dynasty
of Ur, which governed both Akkad and Sumer. Toward the end of the 3rd
millennium Elam took over most of the power as a new wave of Semitic-speaking peoples
entered Mesopotamia. It was by defeating the Elamites that Hammurabi was able to
create Babylonia. The name Akkad also appears as Accad.
Ancient Babylonia
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