The Sargonic and Ur III Empires

Abstract This chapter surveys the history of arguably the two earliest empires on record, both of which originated in Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq). The first of them was founded, ca. 2350 bce, by Sargon of Akkade, reaching the apex of its power under Sargon’s grandson Naram-Suen. The Akkadian rulers conquered an area extending from eastern Iran to Anatolia, a feat that was not to be replicated until the times of the Neo-Assyrian Empire in the first millennium bce. However, the Sargonic Empire, which lasted roughly 150 years, never developed an articulated system of imperial control over the conquered territories, its basic raison-d’être rather being the control and exploitation of trade routes. After a passage of roughly one century, another imperial experiment was undertaken, ca. 2050 bce, by a king of Ur named Šulgi. The empire of Ur had clearly been inspired by the Sargonic example, as it was motivated by similar economic and ideological objectives. While the extent of Ur’s territorial expansion was much more limited, Šulgi and his successors were able to create an exquisitely designed mini-empire, whose operations were guided by a characteristically self-limiting (and largely defensive) strategy, and which was much more internally cohesive and better organized than Sargon’s creation. In spite of its seeming perfection, this—equally brief—imperial experiment also failed, even more resoundingly than the Sargonic one. The causes of the collapse of the two empires are considered in detail.