The Fall of Sumer and the Rise of Akkad

The Rise of Akkad1.Sumer city-states weakened

each other by fighting over land and water.

2.In 2300 B.C., Sumer was conquered by King Sargon of Akkad.

3.Sargon actually united the city-states and improved their government and military.

4.Sumer remained under Akkadian control for nearly 200 years.

King Sargon – The General

1. Sargon was a great military general.

2. He taught soldiers how to fight in formationsa)Soldiers with shields would

be in front, with a layer of soldiers with spears behind them.

3. Eventually, Sargon controlled all of Mesopotamia.

4. He destroyed all the city-state walls to make sure they stayed loyal to him.

Agade1. Sargon ruled for 56

years before he died.a)He had become the

world’s first emperor.2. He created a capital

city in Agade in northern Mesopotamia.

3. Agade was a center of culture, and became the richest and most powerful city in the world.

Sumerian Culture Lived on

1.The Akkadians ruled Sumer, but Sumerian culture survived.a) The Akkadians used

Sumer’s irrigation systems.

b)The Akkadians wrote in cuneiform.

c)The Akkadians even worshipped the same gods, using different names.

Akkadian culture1.The Akkadians had

their own culture, too.

2.They created 3D sculptures called steles.

3.The most famous stele is the Victory Stelea) Created to celebrate

a victory by Sargon’s grandson, King Naram-sin.

Akkadian Empire Falls1. The Akkadian Empire

was hard to control because of its size.

2. After 200 years, the Akkadian empire fell apart in 2100 B.C.a)Sumer returned to a

city-state system, but it was much weaker.

3. Sumer existed until 1800 B.C. when it was finally conquered by Hammurabi.