History’s First Emperor
Ancient Mesopotamian ruler Sargon of Akkad (reigned circa 2334 – 2279 BC) was history’s first powerful conqueror and de facto emperor. As a young officer, he led a revolt that toppled the king of Kish. Next, he marched north, conquered cities and recruited an army, then turned south against ancient Sumer’s city states. He crushed their combined forces in a decisive battle. A brilliant military commander, Sargon seized all of southern Mesopotamia, as well as parts of Syria, Anatolia in modern Turkey, and Elam, in what is now western Iran. The Akkadian Empire he cobbled together is history’s first multi-national empire.
Sargon’s realm was the first ever political entity administered efficiently through the use of bureaucracy on a large scale. His model was copied by future rulers and kingdoms. Sargon was also a propaganda innovator. He came up with a radically different origin story to gather support, and to justify his right to rule. Before Sargon, Sumerian rulers believed in an ancient version of the divine right of kings. To set themselves apart from the commoners and elevate themselves above the masses, Sumer’s kings asserted that they were chosen by the gods to rule. As seen below, Sargon, as capable a politician as he was a brilliant military leader, ditched that narrative.