Akadia

Akadia 𒆳𒌵𒆠 (Akadian) māt Akadi 𒀀𒂵𒉈𒆠 (Sumerian) agade
c. 2300 – 2100 BC
Map of the Akadian Empire
Capital	Akad
Common languages	Akadian Sumerian (declining)
Religion	Akadian religion
Government	Monarchy
Šarrum (Kings)
• c. 2300–2245 BC	Sargon (first)
Historical era	Bronze Age
• Established	c. 2300 BC
• Disestablished	c. 2100 BC
Preceded by Succeeded by Sumeria Ayreoshubic Empire
Today part of	Terranihil

Akadia, or the Akadian Empire, was an ancient empire of Alaia that succeeded Sumeria. It was centered in the city of Akad. The empire united Akadian and Sumerian speakers under one rule. Akadia exercized influence across Alaia and the Caelean Coast.

During the 3rd millennium BC, a cultural symbiosis developed between Sumerians and Akadians, which included widespread bilingualism. Akadian, a Semitic language, gradually replaced Sumerian as the spoken language between the end of the 3rd and the early 2nd millennia BC. The Akadian Empire reached its political peak between the 24th and 22nd centuries BC, following the conquests by its founder Sargon of Akad.

After the Ayreoshubic Empire conquered Akadia, the people of Alaia coalesced into two major Akadian-speaking regions: Babylonia in the west and Assoria in the east.

History

Pre-Sargonic Akad

Akadia takes its name from the city of Akad, both of which were localized around the Alaius River. Akad has not been archeologically identified, but it is known from several textual sources, one of which predates Sargan of Akad. Also considering 'Akad' is of non-Akadian origin, Akad was likely already established in pre-Sargonic times.

Sargon of Akad

Main article: Sargon of Akad

Sargon of Akad defeated and captured the last Sumerian ruler, in the Battle of Uruk and conquered his empire. Sargon was originally a cupbearer to the king of Kish. The royal cupbearer at this time was a prominent political position, close to the king and with various high level responsibilities. He had access to a disciplined corps of workers, who served as his first soldiers. Displacing him, Sargon was crowned king, and he began a campaign of foreign conquest. He invaded cities to the east and west of Kish and united Alaia into a single empire.

Sargon took this process further, conquering many of the surrounding regions to create an empire that reached eastward as far as the Caelean Sea and its coastal islands; northward as far as periphery Kavardan cities; westward to the Vantharus River and the Elamites; and south to the Murtans. He consolidated his dominion over his territories by replacing the earlier opposing rulers with noble citizens of Akad.

Rimush and Manishtushu

Sargon had easily defeated his opposition even at old age, however wars broke out again in the reign of his sons. Peripheries of the empire revolted during the ten-year reign of Rimush (2245–2235 BCE), who fought to retain the empire. He successfully reconquered Ur, Umma, Lagash, and Kazallu, but he was assassinated by his own advisors. Rimush had ordered mass slaughter and large scale destruction of those and other Sumerian city-states. Sumerian casualties were enormous, exceeding 100,000 deaths.

Rimush's elder brother, Manishtushu (2234–2216 BCE) succeeded him. Manishtushu fought a naval battle against 32 kings who had united against him. Despite his success, he was also assassinated in a palace conspiracy.

Naramsin

Manishtushu's son and successor, Naramsin (2215–2172 BCE) faced revolts at the start of his reign, but quickly crushed them. Under his rule, the Akadian economy was highly planned. Taxes were paid in produce and labour on public walls, temples, and irrigation canals, producing huge agricultural surpluses. This newfound wealth may also have been caused at least partially by climatic conditions and the confiscation of the wealth of other peoples. The Ayreoshubic Empire began its invasion of Akadia during Naramsin's rule.

During this period, the Akadian language became the lingua franca of much of the Caelean coast, although Sumerian remained as a literary language.

Collapse

The Ayreoshubic-Akadian Wars waged from in 2200 BCE until Akadia was eventually conquered by the Ayreoshubic Empire in 2100 BCE, 200 years after its founding.

Government

The Akadian government formed a standard which all Alaian states compared themselves. As Sargon expanded his empire, it was said that he ruled everything under the heavens. Under him, the ensis generally kept their positions but were seen more as local governors. The title shar kishati became recognised as "lord of the universe". Sargon is reported to have led one of the first organised military naval expeditions in history.

One strategy adopted by both Sargon and Naramsin, to maintain control of the empire, was to appoint their daughters as high priestess to Sin, the Akadian moon deity, and to install sons as provincial ensi governors in strategic locations. Additionally they married their daughters to rulers of peripheral parts of the empire.

Culture

Art

There was a great emphasis on kings in Akadian art. The degree of realism considerably increased from Sumerian art. Seals show a world of conflict and danger.

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  Soldier with sword, naked captives, on the Nasiriyah stele of Naramsin.

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  Statue of Akadian ruler from Ashor, c. 2300 BC.

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  Inscription "Adda, the scribe", and seal depicting numerous Akadian dieties.

Language

Tablet in Akadian recording domestic animals c. 2100 BC.

During the 3rd millennium BC, a cultural symbiosis developed between the Sumerians and the Akadians, which included widespread bilingualism. The mutual influences between Sumerian and Akadian are apparent in all areas including word borrowing on a massive scale, and syntactic, morphological, and phonological convergence. Akadian gradually replaced Sumerian as a spoken language somewhere around the turn of the 3rd and the 2nd millennium BC, but Sumerian continued to be used as a sacred, ceremonial, and literary language in Akadia and then Assoria until around 500 BC.

Literature

Sumerian literature continued in rich development during the Akadian period. Enheduanna, the daughter of Sargon, of the temple of Sin at Ur (c. 2285–2250 BC) is the first poet in history whose name is known. Her known works include hymns to the goddess Inanna and the Temple Hymns, addressing sacred temples and their deity. Her works are significant because they shift to the first person voice of the poet herself, an innovation in ancient literature.