AKKADIA

The Akkadian Empire collapsed around 2150 BCE. According to the Sumerians, the end of Akkadia occurred due to a curse called the: “the Curse of Akkad” [i] The King Naram-Sin [ii] had proclaimed himself as “living God” and destroyed the temples in Nippur when he conquered the city. Thus, the curse maintains that the Gods unleashed the Gutians [iii], who lived in the Zagros mountains to invade and destroy Akkad. More conventional explanations have linked the Empire’s collapse to overpopulation, internal revolts, and poor managerial skills [iv]. According to recent scientific evidence, a dramatic climate change [v] was the ultimate cause for the Akkadian Empire’s demise.

The Akkadians who came from the Northern Mesopotamia were a primary rival and ultimately conquerors of the Sumerians [vi]. Sumer [vii] was divided to city-states who ended up fighting over water and land rights. Following multiple military campaigns, the Akkadians took over ancient Sumer territory but the Sumerian culture lived on. In agriculture, the Akkadians farmed using the Sumerians’ irrigation techniques. They also used the Sumerians' system of cuneiform writing [viii] to record information. From a religious standpoint, the Akkadian Empire worshipped the same Gods as Sumerians and kept their practices. Nevertheless, the names of Sumer’s religious figures were changed in the Akkadian era.

The legacy of the Akkadian civilization continues to manifest itself in different fields. From a political view, the hereditary system of governance still exists until today in monarchies around the world in Morocco [ix], Jordan [x], Bahrain [xi], and more. This refers primarily to the reign of Akkadian King Sargon, who initiated this new conception of governance in Mesopotamia [xii]. Moreover, the collapse of the Akkadian Empire remains a very important topic that interests scientists worldwide. Given that climate change was a major factor and remains a hefty issue today, the Akkadian civilization’s knowledge may have a notable impact on current work in environmental fields.

King Sargon of Akkad, who ruled from 2334 BCE to 2279 BCE, successfully introduced a new conception of kingship [xiii]. The kings maintained power by installing their sons as governors over the major cities. They also made their daughters high priestesses over the major Gods. The daughter of Sargon, Enheduanna [xiv], was placed the High Priestess of Inanna [xv]. The successors of Sargon were his sons: Rimush [xvi] and Manishtusu [xvii]. The Akkadian Dynasty continued with Sargon’s grandson, Naram-Sin, who expanded the Empire’s boundaries, increased trade, and led successful conquests [xviii]. The Empire’s final ruler was the son of Naram-Sin who failed to deal with external attacks.

The Akkadian language belongs to the Semitic language family and is linked to Hebrew and Arabic. It was the most important language in the ancient Near East between the 3rd and 1st millennia BCE [xix]. It was named after the city of Akkad and written on clay tablets in cuneiform. Today, there are over half a million tablets written [xx] in the Akkadian language in museums around the world. This language managed to chronicle aspects of life in ancient Mesopotamia including the Empire’s rise and fall. It documented the creation of cities and civilizations that followed, and thus preserved the history behind them.

The Akkadians embraced the Sumerian cultural, economic, and religious practices. Nevertheless, they introduced new models, systems, and services that influenced future civilizations. Akkadians invented the first postal service [xxi] by inscribing Akkadian script in cuneiform on clay tablets. Each tablet was wrapped in a clay envelope and marked with the name and address of the recipient and the seal of the sender. They also built solid roads between major cities and created the first unified system of weights and measurements throughout the region based on finger and forearm lengths [xxii]. Despite its brief existence, the achievements of the Akkadian civilization have marked history.

The Akkadian economy relied primarily on agriculture [xxiii] due to the region’s natural conditions and the manipulation of its rivers through irrigation systems. The export of its agricultural surplus enabled the import of materials including metal and wood. These imports impacted the Empire’s expansion and allowed Akkadians to conquer lands across Mesopotamia. The Akkadian Kings developed trade in the region by creating strategic roads between cities. Additionally, Akkadians were asked to pay taxes [xxiv] in the form of meat, milk, wool, and labor. The King Sargon of Akkad also used the collected taxes to pay the soldiers and royal artists whose work he commissioned.