Akkadian Empire | ||||||||||||||||
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Map of the Akkadian Empire (brown) and the directions in which military campaigns were conducted (yellow arrows)
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Capital | Akkad | |||||||||||||||
Languages | Akkadian | |||||||||||||||
Religion | Sumerian religion | |||||||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | |||||||||||||||
King | ||||||||||||||||
• | 2334–2279 BC | Sargon (first) | ||||||||||||||
• | 2170–2154 BC | Shu-turul (last) | ||||||||||||||
Historical era | Bronze Age | |||||||||||||||
• | Established | circa 2350 BC | ||||||||||||||
• | Conquests of Sargon of Akkad | circa 2340 BC — circa 2284 BC | ||||||||||||||
• | Disestablished | circa 2150 BC | ||||||||||||||
Area | ||||||||||||||||
• | 2334 BC | 800,000 km² (308,882 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
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Today part of |
Coordinates: 33°6′N 44°6′E / 33.100°N 44.100°E
The Akkadian Empire /əˈkeɪdiən/ was the first ancient Semitic-speaking empire of Mesopotamia, centered in the city of Akkad /ˈækæd/ and its surrounding region, also called Akkad in ancient Mesopotamia and Accad in the Bible (Genesis 10:10). The empire united all the Akkadian and Sumerian speakers under one rule. The Akkadian Empire controlled Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, Kuwait, northeast Syria and southeast Turkey), the Levant (modern Syria and Lebanon), and eastern and southern parts of Anatolia (modern Turkey) and Iran, sending military expeditions as far south as Dilmun and Magan (modern Bahrain and Oman) in the Arabian Peninsula.