Download Agade/Akkadian Dynasty The British Museum The period

Agade/Akkadian Dynasty
The British Museum
The period succeeding the Early Dynastic in southern Mesopotamia is named after the
city of Agade (or Akkad), whose rulers united the region, bringing the competing
Sumerian cities under their control by conquest. The precise dates of the Agade
dynasty are disputed by modern scholars, but it lasted about 150 years from about 2330
BC. The city of Agade itself has not so far been certainly located, but it was probably
founded before the time of Sargon (about 2334-2279 BC), the dynasty's first king.
Sargon conquered southern Mesopotamia (Sumer) and led military expeditions to
conquer further east and north. He was succeeded by two of his sons, Rimush and
Manishtushu, who consolidated the dynasty's hold on much of Mesopotamia. The
empire reached its greatest extent under Naram-Sin (about 2254-2218 BC), and there
are references to campaigns against powerful states in the north, possibly including
Ebla. Control was maintained under Naram-Sin's successor, Shar-kali-sharri (about
2217-2193 BC), though at the end of his reign there appears to have been a power
struggle for the throne. A number of city rulers re-established their independence in
southern Mesopotamia, and the territory ruled over by the last kings of Agade (Dudu
and Shu-Turul) had shrunk back to the region directly around the city.
Source URL: http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/article_index/a/agade_akkadian_dynasty.aspx
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