Akkad

On the Euphrates River in northern Babylonia lies the city of Akkad. The city, which existed as independent city-state before merging with Sumer to form Babylonia, was influential and the area around it is also called Akkad. The Babylonian empire, before it was called ‘the Babylonian empire’, was originally called simply ‘Sumer and Akkad’. Prior to the merger with Sumer, Akkad dominated the region from approximately 2355 B.C. to 2165 B.C., and the two greatest rulers of Akkad were Sargon the Great (not to be confused with Sargon I and Sargon II of Assyria) and Naram-Sin. The empire of Akkad included all of Mesopotamia, and at times expanded to include even Syria. The dynasty of Akkad saw great advances in culture and the arts, and was long remembered in saga, despite its brevity. The dynasty of Akkad represents the successful irruption of Semitic peoples into Mesopotamia.