Akkadians

The Akkadians, an ancient Semitic people, rose to prominence in Mesopotamia during the third millennium BC, establishing one of the earliest known empires in history.

In this section of our website, we invite you to discover the diverse and influential figures who left their mark on Akkadian history. From visionary rulers and innovative architects to talented poets and skilled warriors, these individuals embody the spirit and achievements of the Akkadian civilization.

19 February, 2019 - 01:55 ancient-origins

Both a Princess and a Priestess, What Did the First Known Author Have to Share with the World?

Louise Pryke / The Conversation The world’s first known author is widely considered to be Enheduanna, a woman who lived in the 23rd century BC in ancient Mesopotamia (approximately 2285 – 2250 BC)...

20 June, 2022 - 22:31 Willem McLoud

Res Gestae Sargonis: Sargon The Great King Of Akkad

The Akkadian Empire, founded by Sargon the Great, was the very first empire the world had seen, established in ancient Mesopotamia in about 2370 BC. This empire was remembered as having been...

Image of Osiris (Adobe Stock) and bust of Sargon (CC BY-SA 2.0) (Deriv)

28 November, 2022 - 13:21 Willem McLoud

Was The Historical Egyptian Osiris Perhaps Sargon Of Akkad?

In many respects the narrative of the Egyptian god, Osiris, seems to be all too human. Is it possible that his origin goes back to a real historical king? Could the historical Osiris have been none...

Life size bronze portrait head believed to be of Sargon, restored (Public Domain)

8 August, 2022 - 20:47 Willem McLoud

King Sargon Of Akkad As The Second-Coming Dumuzi

Sargon the Great of Akkad (fl. c. 2370-2314) is one of the greatest heroes of ancient Mesopotamian history , the one who founded the Akkadian Empire (c. 2370-2190), the very first world empire. The...

Fall of the Titans". Oil on canvas by Jacob Jordaens, (1638) (Public Domain)

16 February, 2022 - 16:00 Willem McLoud

Were All The Nephilim Giants Or Men Of Renown?

It is often assumed that the biblical ‘Nephilim’ were all Giants. The Nephilim, however, entail much more and can be traced back to a much richer tradition found in ancient Mesopotamia about the...

The Turin Papyrus composite and colored from plates 2-5 o the 1904 book "Aegyptische Chronologie" by Eduard Meyer (PLstrom / CC BY-SA 3.0)

18 October, 2021 - 21:35 Willem McLoud

New Ancient Middle Eastern Chronology Unlocks Hidden History Of Egypt and Mesopotamia

In the academic study of the ancient world, chronology or timeline is of the utmost importance. This is especially true for the ancient Middle East. When events in Egypt are to be correlated with...

Cuneiform tablet from Van fortress, Turkey Source: Konstantin / Adobe Stock

21 September, 2021 - 14:49 ashley cowie

AI Model Is Solving 4,500-Year-Old Cuneiform Translation Mysteries

Archaeologists just got infinitely smarter. AI is now successfully predicting lost passages of ancient texts, meaning 4,500-year-old cuneiform tablets, with missing sections, can now read. A deep-...

Mesopotamian relief of Assyrian warriors. Credit: kmiragaya / Adobe Stock

14 January, 2021 - 23:08 Sarah P Young

Ancient Mesopotamia and the Rise of Civilization

In ancient times, Mesopotamia, meaning ‘land between two rivers’, was a vast region that lay between the Tigris and Euphrates river systems, and it is where civilization emerged over 7,000 years ago...

15 December, 2020 - 21:59 ashley cowie

A Frenchman Solves Linear Elamite Puzzle And Rewrites Writing History

Every once in a while a scientist goes rogue, and it’s happened to a French archaeologist in Tehran who claims the Iranian plateau was the shared birthplace of writing with Mesopotamia, based on his...

Image of Mesopotamia - Jeff Brown Graphics

8 May, 2020 - 18:45 Bryan Hill

The Rise and Fall of Sumer and Akkad

The Sumerians were the first known people to settle in Mesopotamia over 7,000 years ago. Located in the southernmost part of Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (modern day Iraq),...

Sandstorms contributed to the Akkadian Empire fall. Source: mdesigner125 / Adobe Stock

25 October, 2019 - 01:47 ancient-origins

A Dusty Demise for the Akkadian Empire (New Study)

The Akkadian Empire was the first empire in Mesopotamia and arguably the first true empire that existed, being around during the third millennium BC. As has been a recurring empirical theme ever...

Representational image of high priestess and poet Enheduanna.

25 June, 2019 - 17:35 Kerry Sullivan

Enheduanna: High Priestess of the Moon and the First Known Author

The ancient Sumerian poet Enheduanna has a unique claim to fame: she was the first author in the world known by name. While there were previous instances of poems and stories written down, Enheduanna...

Royal Palace at Ebla. Source: CC BY-SA 3.0

21 May, 2019 - 19:05 ancient-origins

First Kingdoms: The Forgotten Mesopotamian Kingdom of Ebla

Spectacular things were happening in Mesopotamia in the period we call the Early Bronze Age, particularly in the southern part of it, commonly called Babylonia. It was here that the wealthy,...

20 May, 2019 - 14:06 dhwty

Sumer: Where Written Language, Arithmetic and Civilization Were Born

The Sumerian civilization (known also as Sumer) was one of the earliest civilizations in the world. This ancient civilization emerged in the region of southern Mesopotamia (modern day southern Iraq...

Sumerian tablets, Sumerian script is known as cuneiform. Source: Pixabay/ CC0

9 May, 2019 - 22:56 dhwty

Sumerian Tablets: A Deeper Understanding of the Oldest Known Written Language

Ancient languages are captivating despite the fact that studying them or learning about them is a long, complex process. Of course, many students just get briefly acquainted with this subject and...

25 April, 2019 - 23:54 dhwty

Deciphering Cuneiform to Get a Handle on Life in Ancient Mesopotamia

Cuneiform is a system of writing that was invented by the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia. Believed to have been created sometime during the 4th millennium BC (between 3500 and 3000 BC), this script...

The engraving of the gods depicted on the kudurru were arranged in a particular order.

28 March, 2019 - 12:54 dhwty

Signs of a Civilization? The Sacred Boundary Stones of Babylonia

A kudurru (meaning ‘boundary’ or ‘frontier’ in Akkadian ) is a type of stone document used in ancient Mesopotamia . While stone monuments have been used at various times in ancient Mesopotamia, it is...

Modern representation of Sargon of Akkad.

2 March, 2019 - 01:46 dhwty

Sargon of Akkad: Familiar and Legendary Tales of a Famous Mesopotamian King

In 2334 BC, King Sargon of Akkad founded one of the world’s greatest empires. From humble roots, he created a Golden Age in Mesopotamia. Heroic epics tell tales of a strong leader. Sargon the Great...

Example of a lamb stew with vegetables. (Jo del Corro/CC BY 2.0) “Hen with Herbs”. Laura Kelley recreates Recipe 2 from Yale tablet 8958. (Laura Kelley) Lamb shanks in a stew. (E4024/CC BY SA 4.0) YBC 4644, a tablet with a Babylonian recipe, ca. 1750 BC. (Yale University Library)

12 August, 2018 - 19:02 Mark Oliver

Three Babylonian Recipes From 1600 BC You Can Make At Home Today

Ever wanted a taste of life in an ancient civilization? The oldest cookbook ever found was made sometime around 1600 BC in the ancient city of Babylon. It’s a set of cracked tablets engraved by an...

Colossal statue of Amenhotep III in the British Museum. (Public Domain) Background: Detail of Amarna letter: Royal Letter from Abi-milku of Tyre to the king of Egypt. (CC0)

18 July, 2018 - 13:59 dhwty

To the King, My Sun, My God, the Breath of My Life… Amarna Letters Paint Remarkable Picture of Ancient Egyptian Rulership

“Your city weeps, and her tears are running, and there is no help for us. For 20 years we have been sending to our lord, the king, the king of Egypt, but there has not come to us a word from our lord...