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Formation of the Akkadian state. Reign of Sargon the Elder

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In modern historiography it is usually called Sargon the Ancient or Sargon of Akkad.

Origin of Sargon

Sargon himself never named his father. Late Akkadian poem, known to science entitled "The Legend of Sargon" reports that his birthplace was Azupiranu (English)Russian"Saffron Town" or "Crocus Town") on the Euphrates. Its location is unknown, but it is believed that it was located on the middle reaches of this river, that is, within the current Syria. In any case, Sargon, judging by his name, was an Eastern Semite.

According to legend, Sargon came from the lower classes, it was believed that he was the adopted son of a water carrier and was a gardener and cup-bearer with the Kish king Ur-Zababa. The low origin of Sargon later became a common place in cuneiform historical writings. In view of such perseverance of tradition, it can be argued with a high degree of certainty that Sargon really came out of the people (in fact, from the employees of the royal temple economy), or there was something in his activities or the accompanying historical situation that allowed such an opinion about him to form. According to a legend, known in the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian period, Sargon's mother was a priestess who secretly gave birth to a child and let him go in a reed basket along the Euphrates. The basket was caught by a water carrier, and Sargon was raised by it and became a gardener and later a king (thanks to the favor of the goddess Ishtar). A similar story about the salvation of a child is quite common (in particular, the biblical tradition of Moses).

Founding your own kingdom

After the defeat inflicted by Kishu Lugalzagesi, Sargon founded his own kingdom. The beginning of the reign of Sargon refers to the 2nd year of the reign of Uruinimgina - lugal (the 3rd year of his total reign as an ensi and as a lugal) and to the 20th year of the reign of Lugalzagesi (c. BC). Choosing the capital for his state, Sargon decided not to live in any of the traditional northern centers like Kish, Akshak or Mari, but chose a city without traditions, almost unknown, possibly located in the Sippar nome. The city was called Akkade. According to him, the Ki-Uri region has since become known as Akkad, and the East Semitic language - Akkadian.

Victory over Lugalzagesi

In the beginning, Sargon extended his power to Upper Mesopotamia. In the 3rd year of his reign (c. BC), Sargon undertook a campaign to the west, that is, to Syria. En Ebla (a city-state inhabited by Western Semites and exercising hegemony in these places), probably recognized the authority of Sargon and opened the way for him to the Mediterranean Sea. In the 5th year (c. BC), Sargon began hostilities against Lugalzagesi and quickly defeated his army and the armies of the ensi subject to him. Lugalzagesi was apparently executed, and the walls of Uruk were torn down.

Subjugation of the south of the country

In the 6th year of Sargon's reign (c. BC), a coalition of southern ensi led by a "man from Ur" opposed him. After defeating the army of Ur, Sargon moved against Umma and Lagash. Having captured Umma, Sargon occupied the temporary capital of Lagash, the city of E-Ninmar, and subjugated the entire territory of Lagash, reaching the Persian Gulf (Lower Sea). Ensi Umma Mes-e was taken prisoner, the fate of the rulers of Lagash and Ur is unknown. The walls of all three cities were torn down. Summing up, Sargon says that if you count this campaign, then he fought in 34 battles.

“Sargon, the king of Akkad, the mashkim of Inanna, the king of Kish, the Guda-priest of Ana, the king of the Country, the great ensi of Enlil, ravaged the city of Uruk, destroyed its walls; fought with the men of Uruk, conquered them; fought with Lugalzagesi, king of Uruk, captured him [and] brought him in neck blocks to the gates of Enlil.
Sargon, king of Akkad, fought the men of Ur, subdued them, subjugated them, ravaged their city [and] tore down its walls; devastated E-Ninmar, destroyed its walls, devastated its territory from Lagash to the sea, washed its weapons in the sea; fought with the men of Umma, conquered them, ravaged their city [and] tore down its walls.
To Sargon, king of the Land, Enlil gave no equal; [indeed] Enlil granted him all the territory from the sea above to the sea below. Akkadians (literally "sons of Akkade") received enstvo [everywhere] from the lower sea and above. The men of Mari [and] the men of Elam served Sargon, the king of the Land [as their lord].
Sargon, the king of the Country, restored Kish [and] gave this city to them [the people of Kish], as a residence.
Who ever destroys this inscription - let Utu knock out the foundation [from under] it; let him deprive him of his seed.
The inscription on the plate

Army of Sargon

Such success of Sargon is explained by the fact that he, apparently, relied on a more or less voluntary militia. Sargon countered the traditional tactics of skirmishes between small, heavily armed units that fought in close formation. large masses lightly armed, mobile warriors, acting in chains or scattered. Sumerian lugali, due to the lack of sufficiently flexible and elastic wood varieties for bows in Sumer, completely abandoned small arms; Sargon, on the contrary, attached great importance to the archers, who were able from afar to shower the clumsy squads of shield-bearers and spearmen with a cloud of arrows and upset them without reaching hand-to-hand combat. Obviously, either Sargon had access to yew (or hazel) thickets in the foothills of Asia Minor or Iran, or in his time a composite or glued bow made of horn, wood and lived was invented. Except militia, Sargon had a standing army of 5400 soldiers, fed at the expense of the king.

Campaign to the northwest, to Asia Minor

“Sargon, king of Kish, defeated [the cities] in thirty-four battles to the sea [and] destroyed their walls. He forced the ships from Meluhha, the ships from Magan [and] the ships from Dilmun to land in the bay of Akkade.
Sargon, the king, prostrated before Dagan [and] offered him a prayer; [and] he [Dagan] granted him the upper land, [namely] Mari, Yarmuti [and] Iblu, up to the Cedar Forest [and] to the Silver Mountain.
Sargon, the king whom Enlil did not allow to have equals - 5400 warriors daily eat bread in front of him.
Who ever erases this inscription - may An erase his name; let Enlil rob him of his seed; let Inanna…”
The inscription on the plate

Late tradition, in particular the epic song "King of Battle", tells that Semitic merchants from the city of Kanesh in M. Asia turned to Sargon with a complaint about the oppression perpetrated by the ruler of Purshakhanda (Puruskhand) Nur-Dagan. In response to this, Sargon "Crossed the Sunset Sea" conquered and united "Sunset Land". Which of these is a true historical fact and where to look for the "Land of the Sunset" is unclear. However, archaeological data do not confirm such a long-standing penetration of Akkadian traders deep into the Asia Minor Peninsula. More reliable is the Hittite tradition, which believed that Sargon crossed only across the Euphrates, a little below the exit of this river from the upland region.

Hike to Elam

It is believed that after a campaign in the northern regions of Elam, Sargon conquered the countries of Kutium (Gutii) and Lullubum (Lullubei). Unfortunately, the inscriptions during the reign of Sargon do not contain direct information about his campaign in these countries. This is evidenced by indirect data. Sargon also waged war with the country of Simurrum (a city-state on the Lower Zab River), as indicated by the dated formula "the year when Sargon went to Simurrum".

Arrangement of the state

Under Sargon, trade flourished. He introduced uniform measures of area, weight, etc. throughout the country, took care of maintaining land and waterways. According to legend, ships from Meluhha (went up the river with him to the pier of the city of Akkad, and among the outlandish goods elephants and monkeys could be seen here. However, this flowering of trade did not last long.

worship of the gods

Sargon was well aware of the need for a religious justification for his power, so it is natural that he relied not only on the cult of Aba, the god of the city of Akkad (maybe his ancestral god) and the cult of Zababa, the god of Kish, but also on the Sumerian cult of Enlil in Nippur. In his temple, he built several statues and probably richly endowed the temple, trying to win the priesthood over to his side. His daughter, who bears the Sumerian name En-hedu-Ana (lit. "Priestess of the Abundance of Heaven"), he gave to the priestess - en (in Akkadian ent) to the moon god Nanna in Ur; since then it has become a tradition to eldest daughter The king was the entu of Nanna. The later allegations of the moralizing Babylonian priestly chronicles, that Sargon treated the gods with disdain, are undoubtedly tendentious, as is the assertion that Sargon destroyed Babylon in order to build a suburb of his capital from its bricks; the city of Babylon then had absolutely no significance.

Nobility and dependency rebellions

Hostile tribes from Subartu (i.e. N. Mesopotamia and Assyria) launched attacks on Akkad. In the course of a successful campaign, Sargon conquered Subartu, and sent the captured booty to Akkad. At the very end of Sargon's reign, famine broke out in southern Mesopotamia, causing a new uprising throughout the country. The compilers of the chronicle attribute this famine to the wrath of the god Marduk for Sargon's destruction of Babylon. Sargon died before he could crush this uprising.

Sargon ruled for 55 years.

Surviving images of the king

At least three images are known to be associated with Sargon of Akkad, of which only one (the victory stele of Sargon from Susa) is recognized by most researchers as portrait image this king. Sources are as follows:

The victory stele of the Akkadian king from Susa: on the left - a fragment of Sb 2, on the right - a fragment of Sb 3. Louvre.

Victory stele of the Akkadian king from Susa- also discovered by a French expedition led by J. de Morgan. Preserved in two fragments now in the Louvre (Louvre, Sb 2 and Sb 3). The composition of the Sb 2 fragment is close to the image on the "Kite Stele" of the Sumerian ruler Eannatum: the protagonist holds a net that entangles enemies and raises a mace over the head of one of the captives. To the right of the net is a figure of a deity. Fragment Sb 3 depicts lines of prisoners. The stele is badly damaged, only images of the hands and part of the thigh have been preserved from the figure of the king; he is dressed in fringed clothes, probably kaunakes. It has been suggested that the stele reflects the triumph of Sargon over the confederation of Sumerian nomes, and the shaggy prisoner, above whose head the mace of the king is raised, is Lugalzagesi.

List of surviving dating formulas of Sargon the Ancient

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Notes

Literature

History of the Ancient East. The origin of the oldest class societies and the first centers of slave-owning civilization. Part 1. Mesopotamia / Edited by I. M. Dyakonov. - M .: The main edition of the eastern literature of the publishing house "Nauka", 1983. - 534 p. - 25,050 copies.
Belitsky Marian./ Per. from Polish. - M .: Veche, 2000. - 432 p. - (Secrets of ancient civilizations). - 10,000 copies. - ISBN 5-7838-0774-5.
. // / Compiled by VV Erlikhman. - T. 1.

Links

Sargon I // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

Akkade dynasty
Predecessor: -	king of Akkad, King of Sumer and Akkad OK. - 2261 BC e.	Successor: Rimush

An excerpt characterizing Sargon the Ancient

“I'm sorry I made you feel so much pain, my friend. The voice of the North interrupted my thoughts. “But I think it will help you meet your destiny more easily.” Helps you survive...
I didn't want to think about it... Just a little more!.. After all, I still had plenty of time left for my sad fate. Therefore, in order to change the sore subject, I again began to ask questions.
- Tell me, Sever, why did I see the sign of the royal “lily” on Magdalena and Radomir, and on many Magi? Does this mean that they were all Franks? Can you explain to me?
- Let's start with Isidora, that this is a misunderstanding of the sign itself, - Sever answered with a smile. “It wasn't a lily when they brought it to Frankia Meravingli.

Three-leafed - the battle sign of the Slavic-Aryans

– ?!.
“Didn’t you know that it was they who brought the sign of the “Three-leaf” to Europe at that time? ..” Sever was sincerely surprised.
- No, I've never heard of it. And you surprised me again!
- The three-leafed once, a long time ago, was the battle sign of the Slavic-Aryans, Isidora. It was a magical herb that miraculously helped in battle - it gave the warriors incredible strength, it healed wounds and made it easier for those leaving for another life. This wonderful grass grew far in the North, and only magicians and sorcerers could extract it. It has always been given to soldiers who went to defend their homeland. Going to battle, each warrior uttered the usual spell: “For Honor! For Conscience! For Vera! While also making a magical movement, he touched the left and right shoulder with two fingers and the last one touched the middle of the forehead. This is what the Three Leaf truly meant.
And so the Meravingli brought it with them. Well, then, after the death of the Meravingle dynasty, the new kings appropriated it, like everything else, declaring it a symbol of the royal house of France. And the ritual of movement (or baptism) was “borrowed” by the same Christian church, adding to it the fourth, lower part... the part of the devil. Unfortunately, history repeats itself, Isidora...
Yes, history really did repeat itself... And it made me bitter and sad. Was there anything real from all that we knew? .. Suddenly, I felt like hundreds of strangers were staring at me demandingly. I understood that they were those who KNEW... Those who died defending the truth... They seemed to bequeathed to me to convey the TRUTH to those who did not know. But I couldn't. I was leaving... Just like they once left.
Suddenly the door swung open with a noise - a smiling, joyful Anna burst into the room like a hurricane. My heart jumped high and then sank into the abyss... I couldn't believe that I was seeing my sweet girl! life is a terrible misfortune. - Mommy, dear, but I almost found you! Oh, Sever!.. You came to help us?.. Tell me, you will help us, right? – Looking into his eyes, Anna asked confidently.
Sever only smiled at her affectionately and very sadly...
* * *
Explanation
After painstaking and careful thirteen years (1964-1976) of excavations of Montsegur and its environs, the French Group for the Archaeological Exploration of Montsegur and its environs (GRAME), announced in 1981 its final conclusion: No trace of the ruins of the First Montsegur, abandoned by the owners in the 12th century, has been found . Just as the ruins of the Second Fortress of Montsegur, built by its then owner, Raymond de Pereille, in 1210, have not been found.
(See: Groupe de Recherches Archeologiques de Montsegur et Environs (GRAME), Montsegur: 13 ans de rechreche archeologique, Lavelanet: 1981. pg. 76.: "Il ne reste aucune trace dan les ruines actuelles ni du premier chateau que etait a l" abandon au debut du XII siecle (Montsegur I), ni de celui que construisit Raimon de Pereilles vers 1210 (Montsegur II)...")
According to the testimony given by the Holy Inquisition on March 30, 1244, the co-owner of Montsegur, who was arrested by the seigneur Raymond de Pereille, the fortified castle of Montsegur was "rebuilt" in 1204 at the request of the Perfect - Raymond de Miropua and Raymond Blasco.
(According to a deposition given to the Inquisition on March 30, 1244 by the captured co-seigneur of Montsegur, Raymond de Pereille (b.1190-1244?), the fortress was "restored" in 1204 at the request of Cather perfecti Raymond de Mirepoix and Raymond Blasco.)
However, something still remains to remind us of the tragedy that unfolded on this small patch of mountain soaked through with human blood... Still firmly clinging to the foundations of Montsegur, the foundations of the disappeared village literally "hang" over the cliffs...

Anna enthusiastically looked at Sever, as if he was able to give us salvation ... But little by little her gaze began to fade, because from the sad expression of his face she realized: no matter how much he wanted it, for some reason there would be no help.
You want to help us, don't you? Well, tell me, do you want to help, Sever? ..
Anna peered into our eyes in turn, as if wanting to make sure that we understand her correctly. Her pure and honest soul did not fit the understanding that someone could, but did not want to save us from a horrific death...
“Forgive me, Anna... I can't help you,” Sever said sadly.
- But why?!! Don't you regret that we will die?.. Why, Sever?!..
– Because I DON'T KNOW how to help you... I don't know how to destroy Karaffa. I don't have the right "weapon" to get rid of him.
Still not wanting to believe, Anna very insistently continued to ask.
Who knows how to overcome it? Someone must know this! He's not the strongest! Look, even Grandpa Isten is much stronger than him! Indeed, the North?
It was funny to hear how she easily called such a person grandfather ... Anna perceived them as her faithful and kind family. A family in which everyone takes care of each other ... And where for everyone another life is valuable in it. But, unfortunately, they were not exactly such a family ... The Magi had a different, separate and separate life. Anna didn't understand it yet.
“Vladyka knows this, dear. Only he can help you.
“But if that’s the case, then why hasn’t he helped so far?! Mom was already there, right? Why didn't he help?
“Forgive me, Anna, I can’t answer you. I don't know...
At this point, I couldn't keep silent!
“But you explained it to me, Sever! What has changed since then?
Probably me, my friend. I think you changed something in me. Go to Vladyko, Isidora. He is your only hope. Go before it's too late.
I didn't answer him. And what could I say? .. That I do not believe in the help of the White Magus? I do not believe that he will make an exception for us? And that's exactly what was true! And that's why I didn't want to go to him to bow. Perhaps it was selfish to do so, perhaps unwise, but I couldn't help myself. I no longer wanted to ask for help from my father, who had once betrayed his beloved son ... I did not understand him, and did not completely agree with him. After all, he COULD save Radomir. But I didn’t want to ... I would give anything in the world for the opportunity to save my sweet, brave girl. But, unfortunately, I didn’t have such an opportunity... Even if they kept the most precious (KNOWLEDGE), the Magi still had no right to harden their hearts to such an extent as to forget simple philanthropy! To destroy compassion. They turned themselves into cold, soulless "librarians" who sacredly guarded their library. Only now the question was whether they remembered, closed in their proud silence, FOR WHOM this library was once intended?.. Did they remember that our Great Ancestors left their KNOWLEDGE so that it would help them grandchildren to save our beautiful Earth? For some reason, it always seemed to me that those whom our ancestors called Gods would not allow their best sons and daughters to die just because the “right” time was not yet on the threshold! For if the blacks slaughter all the enlightened ones, then there will be no one else to understand even the best library...
Anna carefully watched me, apparently hearing my sad thoughts, and in her kind radiant eyes there was an adult, stern understanding.
“We won’t go to him, Mommy. We’ll try it ourselves,” my brave girl said with a gentle smile. We still have some time left, don't we?
Sever looked at Anna in surprise, but, seeing her determination, did not utter a word.
And Anna was already admiringly looking around, only now noticing what wealth surrounded her in this marvelous treasury of Caraffa.
– Oh, what is it?! Is this really the Pope's library? .. And you could come here often, mommy?
- No, my dear. Just a few times. I wanted to learn about wonderful people, and for some reason Papa allowed me to do so.
Do you mean Qatar? Anna asked calmly. They knew a lot, didn't they? And yet they failed to survive. The earth has always been very cruel ... Why is that, mother?
– It is not the Earth that is cruel, my sun. These are people. And how do you know about Qatar? I never taught you about them, did I?
"Pink" embarrassment immediately flashed on Anna's pale cheeks...
- Oh, please forgive me! I just “heard” what you were talking about, and I became very interested! So I listened. Excuse me, because there was nothing personal in it, so I decided that you would not be offended ...
- Yes, of course! But why do you need such pain? After all, we have enough of what the Pope presents, right?
“I want to be strong, Mom!” I want not to be afraid of him, just as the Cathars were not afraid of their killers. I want you not to be ashamed of me! – proudly tossing her head, Anna said.
Every day I was more and more surprised at the fortitude of my young daughter! .. Where did she have so much courage to resist Karaffa himself? .. What moved her proud, warm heart?
- Do you want to see anything else? Sever asked softly. "Wouldn't it be better to leave the two of you for a while?"
– Oh, please, Sever, tell us more about Magdalena!.. And tell us how Radomir died? – Enthusiastically asked Anna. And then, recollecting herself, she turned to me: - You don’t mind, mom? ..
Of course, I didn't mind!.. On the contrary, I was ready to do anything to distract her from thoughts about our near future.
– Please, tell us, Sever! It will help us cope and give us strength. Tell me what you know my friend...
The North nodded, and we again found ourselves in someone else's, unfamiliar life... In something lived long ago and abandoned in the past.
A quiet spring evening was fragrant with southern scents before us. Somewhere in the distance, the last glare of the fading sunset was still blazing, although the sun, tired of the day, had long since set to have time to rest until tomorrow, when it would again return to its daily circular journey. In the rapidly darkening, velvet sky, unusually huge stars flared up brighter and brighter. The surrounding world was sedately preparing itself for sleep... Only sometimes somewhere the offended cry of a lonely bird could be heard, which could not find peace in any way. Or from time to time a sleepy bark disturbed the silence by the call of local dogs, thus showing their vigilant vigil. But the rest of the night seemed frozen, gentle and calm ...
And only two people were still sitting in the garden, enclosed by a high clay wall. They were Jesus Radomir and his wife Mary Magdalene...
They saw off their last night... before the crucifixion.
Clinging to her husband, laying her tired head on his chest, Maria was silent. She wanted to tell him so much more!.. To say so many important things while there was still time! But I couldn't find the words. All the words have already been said. And they all seemed pointless. Not worth those last precious moments... No matter how hard she tried to persuade Radomir to leave a foreign land, he did not agree. And it was so inhumanly painful!.. The world remained as calm and protected, but she knew that it would not be the same when Radomir left... Without him, everything would be empty and frozen...
She asked him to think ... She asked him to return to her distant northern country or at least to the Valley of the Magicians to start over.
She knew that wonderful people were waiting for them in the Valley of Magicians. All of them were gifted. There they could build a new and bright world, as Magus John assured her. But Radomir didn't want to... He didn't agree. He wanted to sacrifice himself so that the blind could see... This was exactly the task that the Father had placed on his strong shoulders. The White Magus... And Radomir did not want to back down... He wanted to gain understanding... from the Jews. Even at the cost of his own life.
None of the nine friends, loyal knights of his Spiritual Temple, supported him. No one wanted to give him into the hands of the executioners. They didn't want to lose him. They loved him too much...
But then the day came when, obeying the iron will of Radomir, his friends and his wife (against their will) vowed not to get involved in what was happening ... Not to try to save him, no matter what happened. Radomir fervently hoped that, seeing the obvious possibility of his death, people would finally understand, see clearly and want to save him themselves, despite the differences in their faith, despite the lack of understanding.
But Magdalene knew that this would not happen. She knew this evening would be their last.
My heart was torn to pieces, hearing his even breathing, feeling the warmth of his hands, seeing his concentrated face, not clouded by the slightest doubt. He was sure he was right. And she could not help it, no matter how much she loved him, no matter how fiercely she tried to convince him that those for whom he went to certain death were unworthy of him.
“Promise me, my fair one, if they still destroy me, you will go Home,” Radomir suddenly demanded very insistently. “You will be safe there. There you can teach. The Knights of the Temple will come with you, they swore to me. You will take Vesta with you, you will be together. And I will come to you, you know it. Do you know?
And then Magdalene finally broke through... She couldn't take it anymore... Yes, she was the strongest Mage. But in this terrible moment, she was only fragile, loving woman Losing the most precious person in the world...
Her faithful, pure soul did not understand HOW the Earth could give her most gifted son to be torn to pieces?.. Was there any sense in this sacrifice? She thought it didn't make sense. Accustomed from an early age to endless (and sometimes hopeless!) struggle, Magdalena was unable to understand this absurd, wild sacrifice! epiphany"! These people (Jews) lived in their isolated and tightly closed world for the rest. They did not care about the fate of the "outsider". And Maria knew for sure that they would not help. Just as she knew, Radomir would die senselessly and in vain. And no one can bring it back. Even if he wants to. It will be too late to change anything...
How can you not understand me? - suddenly, having overheard her sad thoughts, Radomir spoke. “If I don't try to wake them up, they'll destroy the future. Do you remember the Father told us? I must help them! Or at least you should try.
“Tell me, you still don’t understand them, do you?” - Gently stroking his hand, Magdalena whispered softly. Just like they didn't understand you. How can you help people if you don't understand them yourself?! They think in other runes... Yes, and runes?.. This is a different people, Radomir! We do not know their mind and heart. No matter how hard you try, they won't hear you! They do not need your Faith, just as they do not need you yourself. Look around, my Joy, - this is someone else's house! Your land is calling you! Go away, Radomir!
But he didn't want to accept defeat. He wanted to prove to himself and others that he had done everything within his earthly powers. And no matter how hard she tried, she could not save Radomir. And she, unfortunately, knew it ...
The night has already come to the middle ... The old garden, drowned in the world of smells and dreams, was comfortably silent, enjoying the freshness and coolness. The world surrounding Radomir and Magdalena slept sweetly in a carefree sleep, not anticipating anything dangerous and bad. And only for some reason it seemed to Magdalene that next to her, right behind her, chuckling maliciously, there was someone ruthless and indifferent... There was Rock... Relentless and formidable, Rock looked gloomily at the fragile, tender woman, which for some reason he still could not manage to break ... No troubles, no pain.
And Magdalena, in order to protect herself from all this, clung with all her might to her good old memories, as if she knew that only they at the moment could keep her inflamed brain from a complete and irrevocable "eclipse" ... Her tenacious memory still lived so dear to her years spent with Radomir ... Years, it would seem, lived so long ago! .. Or maybe only yesterday? And all of them bright life then it will truly become only a memory .... HOW could she come to terms with this ?! HOW could she look with her hands down when the only person on Earth for her on Earth was dying?!

According to legend, Sargon's mother, a priestess by profession, secretly placed the newly born baby in a basket and let it go down the Euphrates. The fact is that she was an enigpum (entum) - "priestess of sacred marriage." And the whole tragedy of her situation was that the child was conceived not in the temple and not by a god (whose role was actually played by the ruler of the city), but outside the temple and by a mortal man. Exposing such a blatant violation of the unshakable religious rules threatened the priestess with death, and she hurried to get rid of the dangerous "evidence".

The basket was picked up by Akki, the water carrier and gardener of the king of Kish, who also adopted the baby. “The gardener taught his adopted son his trade, but when Sargon reached youthful maturity, the goddess of love Ishtar looked at him. She liked him so much that she promised to show him her special favor, with the help of which he was to get straight to the royal throne of Kish.

“So say the epic poems about Sargon. But we know from more reliable sources that the man who calls himself Sharrumken had a very simple origin. During the reign of Ur-Zababa (Lugal of the 4th dynasty of this city) in Kish, he held the positions of a royal gardener and cup-bearer. “We can hardly doubt that either Sargon really came out of the people (in fact, from the members of the staff of the royal temple economy), or in his activities or in the historical situation that accompanied it, there was something that allowed such an opinion about him to form,” emphasizes THEM. Dyakonov. – Such an unexpected rise could have taken place in a critical situation of the collapse of kingdoms, a popular uprising, or general turmoil, but hardly just as a result of one of those palace coups, dozens of which the history of Mesopotamia knew both before and after Sargon. Since, according to the "Royal List", Sargon was a servant of Ur-Zababa, the king of Kish, it seems possible to connect his sudden rise with the defeat of Kish, suffered from Lugalzagesi. In any case, for some time Sargon ruled simultaneously with Lugalzagesi of Umma.

The real name of Sargon is unknown, and the name Sharrumken, which means in East Semitic "the king is true," he, in all likelihood, took after his accession to the throne.

A late Akkadian poem, known as the Legend of Sargon, reports that his homeland was Azupiran ("Saffron Town" or "Crocus Town") on the Euphrates. Its exact location is unknown, but it is assumed that it was located somewhere in the middle reaches of this river (in modern Syria). In any case, Sargon, judging by his name, was an eastern Semite, and he exalted himself in Kish, in the north of Sumer.

Having seized, by hook or by crook, the royal throne in Kish, Sargon managed to capture first Upper Mesopotamia - “to the Upper (Mediterranean) Sea”, and then “turned his eyes” to the south - to Lower Mesopotamia. But here a very powerful enemy tried to prevent his ambitious aspirations - Lugalzagesi, the king of Umma and the conqueror of most of the cities of Sumer.

“The confrontation between Lugalzagesi and Sargon,” writes V.V. Emelyanov, is the first serious fork in the history of the Southern Mesopotamia. Here we are faced with a situation of choosing a path, and this path runs in opposite directions. Documents that have come down from the time of Lugalzagesi allow us to conclude that his “political program” is traditional. Having conquered the Southern Mesopotamia, the Ummian king moved to the military center of the Sumerians Uruk, achieved his election as a lugal in Nippur, and put his power at the service of the communal oligarchy. If Sargon had not arisen on his way, one would expect the traditional Sumerian desire to single out his city from among others, the “center” - “province”, “older city” - “younger city” hierarchy, redistribution of wealth in favor of communal authorities and the highest temple priesthood… That is, even having captured the entire territory of Mesopotamia, Lugalzagesi could not do anything to unite the country and to ensure coordinated unity in the work of local irrigation systems. As a result, dissatisfied people would arise, internecine wars of city rulers and demands to return the country to the conditions of primordial justice would go around in a new circle.

A completely different path was prepared for Mesopotamia under Sargon ... The political and ideological innovations of Sargon boiled down to the following:

Replacing the nome oligarchy with officials appointed by the tsar, creating conditions for the reproduction of the tsarist bureaucracy.

Creation of a mass army recruited from free communal farmers.

Favoring the development of trade and usury, patronage of people in these professions.

The merging of priestly and royal power by nominating their relatives and associates to the highest priestly positions in Sumerian temples, as well as through the use of temple land.

The introduction of a unified system of measures and weights (in silver and barley grain) and attempts to introduce a unified calendar.

In the field of art, a hitherto unknown genre appears - sculptural portrait ruler, which testifies to the tendency to glorify the personality of the king in the era of the Sargonides.

The victory of Akkad for Mesopotamia meant centralism, strengthening the political and economic unity of the country, rational use irrigation systems, the subordination of temple farms to the royal economy, the destruction of the traditional oligarchy associated with local communities and temples, and the promotion of new nobility from the leaders of the tsarist army and the tsarist bureaucracy.

However, Lugalzagesi, the ruler of Southern Mesopotamia and the patron of the traditional orders, personified by the old aristocracy and the old priesthood, stood in the way of these radical transformations. No wonder he managed to gather a huge army for a decisive clash with Sargon of Akkad, uniting detachments of militias and squads of professional warriors from 50 city-states, led by their ensi (rulers).

The outcome of this struggle, the reward for victory in which would be domination over the entire Mesopotamia, decided military organization and the tactics of the troops of both rivals. The army of the Sumerian "nomes" consisted of three types of troops: light infantry, armed with darts, clubs and maces; heavily armed infantry in helmets, with large shields and long spears; chariots pulled by four donkeys. These soldiers entered the battle in close formation, moving only forward and could not reorganize and maneuver during the battle. Sargon's armed forces are a completely different matter. The basis of his army was numerous light infantry, operating in loose formation and divided into archers, spearmen and warriors armed with axes. In the battles against the clumsy, heavily armed Sumerian infantry of Lugalzagesi, Sargon's troops constantly prevailed. Uruk, Ur, Lagash, and finally Umma were captured. Its unfortunate ruler was captured by the northerners, was put in chains in a cage and sent to Nippur for the amusement of the public. “The power of the Sumerian king must end where it began, in sacred Nippur. Therefore, Lugalzagesi in copper shackles was led through the Nippur “Enlil gates”, after which he lost power and was brought to trial by Enlil himself, or rather, by his priests, who most likely sentenced the Ummian hegemon to death.”

Significantly, when choosing the capital for his rapidly growing kingdom, Sargon decided not to live in any of the old northern centers like Kish, Akshak or Mari, but found a run-down city without traditions, almost unknown, somewhere within the “nome” of Sippar. The city was called Akkad. According to him, the whole north of Mesopotamia began to be called Akkad, and the East Semitic language became Akkadian. Unfortunately, the ruins of this city have not yet been found.

Sargon was a very ambitious ruler. Having conquered Sumer, he made an important symbolic gesture: he washed his sword in the "Lower Sea", that is, in the Persian Gulf. Cuneiform texts report that Sargon ruled for 55 years (2316-2261 BC) and fought 34 major and successful battles for him. Over the years, he made many victorious campaigns to the west - to the region.

Syria and Asia Minor and to the east - to the region of Elam (Southwestern Iran). After the victory over Lugalzagesi, the power of the Akkadian monarch extended from the eastern coast of the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf, from the Iranian mountains to the Arabian desert. It was the largest of the states that existed in Mesopotamia until then. No wonder many modern researchers call the power of Sargon of Akkad an empire.

The former gardener, having become "the lord of half the world", could satisfy his ambition by accepting the prestigious title "Lugal (king) of Kish", usual for Sumerian practice. But this was clearly not enough for Sargon. Defeated by the Akkadian army, Lugalzagesi introduced a new title earlier - "King of the Country". True, in reality these were only claims of a self-confident ruler of a relatively small state in the south of Mesopotamia, claims that never materialized. However, the political plans of Lugalzagesi soon became the real program of action of Sargon, who for the first time united power over all of Mesopotamia in one hand. And this fact was immediately reflected in the royal title. The ruler of Sumer and Akkad appropriated the magnificent name "Lord of the four corners of the world", which was previously used only in relation to the gods.

And yet the biggest innovation of this monarch is the factual superiority of the Semites (Akkadians) over the Sumerians established by him. Akkadian governors were sent to all the major Sumerian "nomes", and Akkadian became the official language for office work. But the traditional religious orders and institutions of Sumer were invariably respected: for example, the daughter of Sargon became the priestess of Nanna, the god of the moon in Ur, and the monarch himself called himself "the anointed priest of the god Anu" and "the great ensi of Enlil."

Having consolidated his power in Mesopotamia and significantly increased the size of his army, Sargon carried out several large military campaigns in two directions: beyond the Tigris, towards Iran, and also along the Euphrates, towards Syria. True, in the east he met fierce resistance from the combined forces of the four rulers of Southwestern Iran, led by the king of Avan. In the end, the enemies were utterly defeated, a number of cities were devastated by the victors. After that, many rulers and kings of Elam and neighboring regions expressed a desire to recognize themselves as vassals of Akkad.

Then the march began to the northwest - to Syria and Lebanon. Mari, Ibla and Yarmuti, as well as the countries of Cedar Forest and Silver Mountain, submitted to Sargon, although not without a struggle. The first three cities were definitely in northern Syria, "Cedar Forest" in Lebanon, and "Silver Mountain" in the Taurus Mountains (Turkey). From these names alone, it can be assumed that Sargon provided himself with supplies of wood and silver, which were now quietly rafted and boated down the Euphrates to Akkad and Sumer. Successful raids carried Akkadian troops into Kurdistan and the coast of the Persian Gulf, all the way to Oman.

The glorious reign of Sargon of Akkad lasted at least 55 years, until 2261 BC. e. And, as a rather late Babylonian chronicle informs us, "in his old age all the lands rebelled against him, and laid siege to him in Akkad." But the old lion still had sharp teeth and claws: “he came out of the gates of the city and broke them; he swept them off the face of the earth and destroyed their huge army.”

Hostile tribes from Subartu (that is, northern Mesopotamia and Assyria) launched attacks on Akkad. During a successful campaign, Sargon conquered Subartu, and sent the captured booty to Akkad. At the very end of Sargon's reign, famine broke out in southern Mesopotamia, causing a new uprising throughout the country. The compilers of the chronicle attribute this famine to the wrath of the god Marduk for Sargon's destruction of Babylon. Sargon died before he could crush this uprising.

The events that darkened the last years of the life of Sargon the Ancient showed themselves in their entirety after his death: a general uprising began, dissatisfied with the new order, both in Sumer and in Elam. Sargon's son and heir, Rimush, brutally cracked down on the rebels and restored relative order within the Akkadian Empire. But danger lay in wait for him in the ninth year of his reign (2261-2252 BC) inside own house. “His servants,” says one Babylonian source, “killed him with their clay tablets.” Here is a true paradox: a burnt clay tablet with cuneiform writing - a source of knowledge - can, it turns out, sometimes turn into a deadly weapon.

For subsequent times, the personality of the founder of the kingdom of Akkad - Sharrumken (usually called Sargon the Ancient in modern historiography) - was shrouded in a fabulous haze of legends; even now it is not easy for us to separate the legend from history, although authentic inscriptions have come down from Sargon, unfortunately, rather stingy in content,” notes I.M. Dyakonov. There are separate references to this ruler in the "Royal List".

According to legend, Sargon's mother, a priestess by profession, secretly placed the newly born baby in a basket and let it go down the Euphrates. The point is that she was enigpum (entum) - "priestess of the sacred marriage." And the whole tragedy of her situation was that the child was conceived not in the temple and not by a god (whose role was actually played by the ruler of the city), but outside the temple and by a mortal man. The exposure of such a flagrant violation of immutable religious rules threatened the priestess with death, and she hurried to get rid of the dangerous "evidence".

The basket was picked up by Akki, the water carrier and gardener of the king of Kish, who also adopted the baby. “The gardener taught his adopted son his craft, but when Sargon reached youthful maturity, the goddess of love Ishtar (Inanna. – V.G.). She liked him so much that she promised to show him her special favor, with the help of which he was to get straight to the royal throne of Kish. This is what the epic poems say about Sargon. But we know from more reliable sources that the man who calls himself Sharrumken had a very simple origin. During the reign of Ur-Zababa (Lugal of the 4th dynasty of this city) in Kish, he held the positions of a royal gardener and cup-bearer. “We can hardly doubt that either Sargon really came out of the people (in fact, from the members of the staff of the royal temple economy), or in his activities or in the historical situation that accompanied it, there was something that allowed such an opinion about him to form,” emphasizes THEM. Dyakonov. – Such an unexpected rise could have taken place in a critical situation of the collapse of kingdoms, a popular uprising, or general turmoil, but hardly just as a result of one of those palace coups, dozens of which the history of Mesopotamia knew both before and after Sargon. Since, according to the "Royal List", Sargon was a servant of Ur-Zababa, the king of Kish, it seems possible to connect his sudden rise with the defeat of Kish, suffered from Lugalzagesi. In any case, for some time Sargon ruled simultaneously with Lugalzagesi from Umma.

The real name of Sargon is unknown, and the name Sharrumken, which means in East Semitic "the king is true," he, in all likelihood, took after his accession to the throne. A late Akkadian poem, known as the Legend of Sargon, reports that his homeland was Azupiran ("Saffron Town" or "Crocus Town") on the Euphrates. Its exact location is unknown, but it is assumed that it was located somewhere in the middle reaches of this river (in modern Syria). In any case, Sargon, judging by his name, was an eastern Semite, and he exalted himself in Kish, in the north of Sumer.

“Many historians,” notes I.M. Dyakonov, - attach exorbitant importance to the East Semitic origin of Sargon and believe that in this way a new one begins with Sargon, namely the Semitic (Akkadian. - V.G.) period in the history of Mesopotamia. This, however, is not the case; in Upper and in the northern part of Lower Mesopotamia ... long before that, apparently, the East Semitic language prevailed; already the Akshak dynasty and the II-IV Kish dynasties were mainly Semitic-speaking; they wrote in cuneiform in East Semitic earlier than the reign of Sargon, for example, in Mari ... and even in Ur ... Sargon, of course, brought his fellow northerners closer to him, among whom there were many Semites, and therefore, under him, East Semitic became more widely used in official use ( Akkadian - V.G.) language; however, Sumerian continued to be used both in everyday life and in office work.

ill. 44. Bronze head of Sargon of Akkad.

III millennium before. n. e.

“The confrontation between Lugalzagesi and Sargon,” writes V.V. Emelyanov, is the first serious fork in the history of the Southern Mesopotamia. Here we are faced with a situation of choosing a path, and this path runs in opposite directions. Documents that have come down from the time of Lugalzagesi allow us to conclude that his “political program” is traditional. Having conquered the Southern Mesopotamia, the Ummian king moved to the military center of the Sumerians Uruk, made sure that he was elected a lugal in Nippur, and put his power at the service of the communal oligarchy. If if Sargon had not arisen on his way, one would have expected the traditional Sumerian desire to single out his city from among others, the hierarchy “center” - “province”, “older city” - “younger city”, redistribution of wealth in favor of communal authorities and higher temple priesthood... That is, even having captured the entire territory of Mesopotamia, Lugalzagesi could not do anything to unite the country and to ensure coordinated unity in the work of local irrigation systems. country in conditions of primordial justice.

A completely different path was prepared for Mesopotamia under Sargon ... The political and ideological innovations of Sargon boiled down to the following:

1. Replacing the nome oligarchy with officials appointed by the tsar, creating conditions for the reproduction of the tsarist bureaucracy.

2. Creation of a mass army recruited from free communal farmers.

3. Favoring the development of trade and usury, patronage of people in these professions.

4. The fusion of priestly and royal power by nominating their relatives and associates to the highest priestly positions in Sumerian temples, as well as through the use of temple land.

5. Introduction of a unified system of weights and measures (in silver and barley grain) and attempts to introduce a unified calendar.

6. In the field of art, a hitherto unknown genre appears - a sculptural portrait of the ruler, which indicates a tendency to glorify the personality of the king in the Sargonid era.

And according to I.M. Dyakonov, “the victory of Akkad for Mesopotamia meant centralism, strengthening the political and economic unity of the country, the rational use of irrigation systems, the subordination of temple farms to the royal economy, the destruction of the traditional oligarchy associated with local communities and temples, and the promotion of a new nobility from the leaders of the royal army and royal bureaucracy.

The outcome of this struggle, the reward for victory in which would be domination over the entire Mesopotamia, was decided by the military organization and tactics of the troops of both rivals. The army of the Sumerian "nomes" consisted of three types of troops: light infantry, armed with darts, clubs and maces; heavily armed infantry in helmets, with large shields and long spears; chariots pulled by four donkeys. These soldiers entered the battle in close formation, moving only forward and could not reorganize and maneuver during the battle. Sargon's armed forces are a completely different matter. The basis of his army was numerous light infantry, operating in loose formation and divided into archers, spearmen and warriors armed with axes. In the battles against the clumsy, heavily armed Sumerian infantry of Lugalzagesi, Sargon's troops constantly prevailed. Uruk, Ur, Lagash, and finally Umma were captured. Its unfortunate ruler was captured by the northerners, was put in chains in a cage and sent to Nippur for the amusement of the public. “The power of the Sumerian king must end where it began, in sacred Nippur. Therefore, Lugalzagesi, in copper shackles, was led through the Nippur “Enlil gates”, after which he lost power and was brought to trial by Enlil himself, or rather, by his priests, who most likely sentenced the Ummian hegemon to death.”

ill. 45. Troops of the Sumerian city-states (infantry and chariots).

Drawing-reconstruction of a contemporary artist

The events that darkened the last years of the life of Sargon the Ancient showed themselves in their entirety after his death: a general uprising began, dissatisfied with the new order, both in Sumer and in Elam. Sargon's son and heir, Rimush, brutally cracked down on the rebels and restored relative order within the Akkadian Empire. But danger lay in wait for him in the ninth year of his reign (2261-2252 BC) inside his own house. “His servants,” says one Babylonian source, “killed him with their clay tablets.” Here is a true paradox: a burnt clay tablet with cuneiform writing - a source of knowledge - can, it turns out, sometimes turn into a deadly weapon.

Rimush was replaced on the throne by Manishtus, his twin brother. One of the most striking events of his reign (2252-2238 BC) was a military expedition to the Persian Gulf. It is described in the sources in the following words: “Manishtusu, king of Kish, when he conquered Anshan and Shirikum (regions in Northwestern Iran. – V.G.), he crossed the Lower Sea (Persian Gulf. - V.G.). The kings of the cities on the other side of the sea, 32 of them, gathered together for battle. He crushed them and subjugated their cities; he overthrew their rulers and captured the whole country down to the silver mines. The mountains behind the Lower Sea - their stones he took with him, made his statue and handed it to Enlil.

But here all the northern and eastern tribes and peoples: Lul-Lubei, Kuti (Gutii), Hurrians, Elamites. All mountain passes leading from Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan to Mesopotamia were cut. "Bronze roads" (that is, the delivery routes for bronze ingots and products from it) turned out to be tightly closed. The Akkadians had two ways out of this acute situation: either to fight with the tribes in the north and by force pave the way to the sources of tin and copper, or to send an expedition for the metal to Oman and southeast Iran. The son of Manishtusu, Naram-suen ("Beloved by the god Sin"), preferred the war in the north and soon achieved success in it. To his title "King of Akkad" he hastened to add such loud epithets as "Lord of the four cardinal points" and "King of the Universe." In addition, his name was preceded in the inscriptions by a star sign - ideograms for denoting a god (Sumerian "dingir", Akkadian "ilu").

ill. 46. Stele of Naram-suen depicting his victory over the Lullubis.

Limestone. Susa

Naram-suen was a man of the same leaven as his grandfather Sargon, and, like him, has long been the hero of many legends and traditions. His long reign of 36 years (2252-2216 BC) was almost entirely filled with military campaigns, all of which took place on the periphery of Mesopotamia. In the west, Naram-suen defeated the cities of Arman (Aleppo?) and Ibla (Ebla) and occupied Cedar Mountain (Lebanon). In the north, a successful operation was carried out against the Hurrian Namar. To establish his prestige in this troubled region, the Akkadian monarch ordered the construction of his summer residence at Tell Brak, a key point in the heart of the Khabur river valley, which controlled all roads leading to the Jezeera. In the extreme south of the "empire" Magan (Oman) rebelled, and Naram-suen immediately rushed there, pacified the rebels and personally captured the local king Mandanna. However, he directed his main blow against the powerful highlanders-lullubei. The Akkadian victories over them are commemorated by a rock relief at Darband-i-Gavr (Iran) and a masterpiece of Mesopotamian monumental sculpture - the famous "stele from Susa". On it, Naram-suen, armed with a bow and arrows, wearing the horned tiara of a god on his head, is depicted climbing a steep mountain over the corpses of defeated enemies. His infantry, shown on a much smaller scale, follows directly behind him.

There is no doubt that Naramsuen was the last great monarch of the Akkadian dynasty. But before he had time to draw his last breath, the pressure on the outer borders of the empire began to acquire a threatening character. While the talented grandson of Sargon was on the throne of Akkad, relations between Mesopotamia and Elam were peaceful and friendly. However, already under the successor of Naram-suen, Sharkali-sharra, the king of Elam, Puzur-Inshu-shinak, declared his country independent, abandoned the Akkadian language in favor of the Elamite language, and assumed the title "King of the Universe." And the ruler of Akkad, whose name, ironically, meant "King of all kings", was powerless to prevent this, as he was engaged in the suppression of rebellions in Sumer and wars with the Lullubis, Gutians and nomads of Syria. Soon, Shar-kali-sharri himself became the victim of a palace conspiracy, and the Akkadian empire disappeared from the historical scene as quickly as it had once appeared. Anarchy and turmoil struck literally the whole of Mesopotamia. Following the example of Uruk, several Sumerian "nomes" declared their full sovereignty. Puzur-Inshushinak made a lightning throw from Elam to Mesopotamia and reached the immediate environs of the capital city of Akkad. The lullubes also revived. However, in the final analysis, it was not the Elamites and not the Lullubians who established their dominance in the country, but the Gutians. The last Akkadian kings became mere puppets under the new masters, and for almost a hundred years the Sumerians and Akkadians had to obey the leaders of the nomadic Kutians, who bore such strange names for the Mesopotamians as Inimagabesh or Jarlagab.

The rise and fall of the Akkadian Empire clearly demonstrates the mechanism of the rise and fall of all subsequent major Mesopotamian powers: rapid expansion is followed by endless rebellions, palace coups, constant wars on the borders and, in the end, the last death blow inflicted by the highlanders - now the Gutians, tomorrow - Elamites, Medes or Persians.

A civilization based on agriculture and metalworking in a country like Mesopotamia requires at least two conditions for its existence: clear cooperation between various ethnic and socio-political groups within the country itself and a friendly or at least neutral attitude towards it from outside her neighbors. Unfortunately, the Mesopotamians did not have either the first or the second for any length of time. Both in Sumer and in Akkad there has never been any internal harmony or unity of all strata and groups of the population, as a rule, mixed and heterogeneous. On the other hand, the wealth accumulated in the prosperous cities of the Mesopotamian plain has always attracted both the poor shepherds of the foothills and the nomadic tribes of the steppes. Therefore, both those and others did not miss an opportunity for predatory raids on Mesopotamia.

The Mesopotamians, in turn, had to conquer and subjugate the mountain and steppe tribes in order to provide trade routes for the delivery of vital goods for themselves - timber, metals, building stone, gold and silver. In this endless war on two fronts, the kings of Akkad, as later the kings of Ur, Babylon and Assyria, used only naked force, and, sooner or later, empires collapsed. The death of Shar-kali-sharri (2176 BC) practically marked the end of the Akkadian period. But short as this period was, it had a profound and lasting impact on the entire history of Mesopotamia. The narrow geographic horizon of Sumer was markedly expanded. The Semitic language of the Akkadians gained a wider audience. And the first two historical peoples of Mesopotamia (the Sumerians and Akkadians) were closely intertwined with each other in a single destiny. The Sumero-Akkadian culture and its main support - cuneiform writing - were accepted not only by the population of Northern Mesopotamia, but also by the distant Hurrians, Lul-Lubians and Elamites. Iran (Elam), Bahrain (Dilmun), Oman (Magan) and the entire Persian Gulf basin were under the powerful influence of the high and bright civilization of Mesopotamia.

Politically, this period unified small autonomous city-states and ushered in an era of large and centralized kingdoms. As for the socio-economic sphere, the Akkadian reforms led to the destruction of the old fundamental principles of the existence of the Sumerian temple city and to the creation of large royal estates, the intensification of trade and craft activities, the development of private initiative and the collapse of the traditional communal aristocracy. Interestingly, even the "Sumerian coup" of the end of the III millennium BC. e., followed by a short time following the Akkadian period, he could not fully restore the old "nome" orders. In many ways, the kings of the 3rd Dynasty of Ur followed the paths already beaten by Sargon the Ancient and his dynasty.

Sargon is the king of Akkad, the king of Akkad and Sumer (c. 2316 - 2261 BC), the founder of the Akkade dynasty. Sargon ruled for 55 years.

Sargon himself never named his father. A late Akkadian poem known to science as the "Legend of Sargon" reports that his homeland was Azupiran ("Saffron Town" or "Crocus Town") on the Euphrates. Its location is unknown, but it is believed that it was located on the middle reaches of this river, that is, within the boundaries of present-day Syria. In any case, Sargon, judging by his name, was an Eastern Semite. According to legend, Sargon came from the lower classes, it was believed that he was the adopted son of a water carrier and was a gardener and cup-bearer of the Kish king Ur-Zababa. The low origin of Sargon later became a common place in cuneiform historical writings. In view of such persistence of tradition, we hardly have the right to doubt that Sargon really came from the people (actually from the members of the staff of the royal temple economy), or that there was something in his activity or the historical situation accompanying it that allowed such an opinion to be formed about him.

Founding of the kingdom

After the defeat that inflicted on Kish Lugalzagesi, Sargon founded his own kingdom. The beginning of the reign of Sargon refers to the 2nd year of the reign of Uruinimgina - lugal (the 3rd year of his total reign as an ensi and as a lugal) and to the 20th year of the reign of Lugalzagesi (c. 2316 BC).

Choosing the capital for his state, Sargon decided not to live in any of the traditional northern centers like Kish, Akshak or Mari, but chose a city without traditions, almost unknown, possibly located in the Sippar nome. The city was called Akkade. According to him, the Ki-Uri region has since become known as Akkad, and the East Semitic language - Akkadian.

Victory over Lugalzagesi

In the beginning, Sargon extended his power to Upper Mesopotamia. In the 3rd year of his reign (c. 2313 BC), Sargon undertook a campaign to the west, that is, to Syria. En Ebla (a city-state inhabited by Western Semites and exercising hegemony in these places), probably recognized the authority of Sargon and opened the way for him to the Mediterranean Sea.

In the 5th year (c. 2311 BC), Sargon began hostilities against Lugalzagesi and quickly defeated his army and the armies of the ensi under his control. Lugalzagesi was apparently executed, and the walls of Uruk were torn down.

Army of Sargon

The Sumerian lugals, due to the lack of sufficiently flexible and resilient varieties of wood for bows in Sumer, completely abandoned small arms; Sargon, on the contrary, attached great importance to the archers, who were able from afar to shower the clumsy squads of shield-bearers and spearmen with a cloud of arrows and upset them without reaching hand-to-hand combat.

Obviously, either Sargon had access to yew (or hazel) thickets in the foothills of Asia Minor or Iran, or in his time a composite or glued bow made of horn, wood and sinew was invented.

In addition to the people's militia, Sargon had a standing army of 5,400 soldiers, fed at the expense of the king.

Subjugation of the south of the country

In the 6th year of Sargon's reign (c. 2310 BC), a coalition of southern ensi led by the "man from Ur" opposed him. Having defeated the army of Ur, Sargon moved against Umma and Lagash. Having captured Umma, Sargon occupied the temporary capital of Lagash, the city of E-Ninmar, and subjugated the entire territory of Lagash, reaching the Persian Gulf (Lower Sea).

Ensi Umma Mes-e was taken prisoner, the fate of the rulers of Lagash and Ur is unknown. The walls of all three cities were torn down. Summing up, Sargon says that if you count this campaign, then he fought in 34 battles.

Expedition to Asia Minor

In the 11th year of his reign (c. 2305 BC), Sargon undertook a second campaign to the northwest. Moving along the Euphrates, Sargon conquered Tuttul (now Hit), Big City Mari, the country of Yarimut (the location is not clear), the country of Ebla, and reached the Cedar Forest (that is, the mountains of Amanus) and the Silver Mountains (that is, the mountains of Asia Minor Taurus).

A late tradition, in particular, the epic song "King of the Battle", tells that Semitic merchants from the city of Kanesh in M. Asia turned to Sargon with a complaint about the oppression perpetrated by the ruler of Purshakhanda (Puruskhand) Nur-Dagan. In response to this, Sargon "crossed the Sea of Sunset" conquered and united the "Land of Sunset".

Which of these is a true historical fact and where to look for the "Land of the Sunset" is unclear. However, archaeological data do not confirm such a long-standing penetration of Akkadian traders deep into the Asia Minor peninsula.

More reliable is the Hittite tradition, which believed that Sargon crossed only over the Euphrates, a little below the exit of this river from the upland region.

Hike to Elam

After Sargon expanded and strengthened his kingdom in the north, west and south, he undertook a campaign to Elam, where at that time there were several small nomes, states, among which the most significant were Elam proper (or Adamdun) headed by the king (sharru ) Luhhishshan and ensi (ishshakku) Sanamsimurru and Varakhse with the ruler (shakkanaku) Sidgau.

The campaign ended successfully, Sargon took the cities of Urua, Avan and Susa, the ruler and judge Varakhse Sidgau, the king Lukhishshan, the ensi of Elama Sanamsimurru, the ensi of the city of Khukhnura (probably modern Malamir) Zina, the ensi of the Gunilakhi region, along with other significant persons were taken prisoner . Construction timber is mentioned among the loot. However, Elam was apparently not simply turned into a region of the Akkadian state, it is obvious that all the captive rulers recognized the authority of Sargon and were left by him in their places.

It is believed that after a campaign in the northern regions of Elam, Sargon conquered the countries of Kutium (Kutii) and Lullubum (Lullubei).

Unfortunately, the inscriptions during the reign of Sargon do not contain direct information about his campaign in these countries. This is evidenced by indirect data. Sargon also waged war with the country of Simurrum (a city-state on the Lower Zab River), as indicated by the subsidized formula "the year when Sargon went to Simurrum."

Arrangement of the state

Under Sargon, trade flourished. He introduced uniform measures of area, weight, etc. throughout his country, took care of maintaining land and waterways.

According to legend, ships from Melakhi (India) went up the river with him to the pier of the city of Akkad, and among the outlandish goods here one could see elephants and monkeys. However, this flowering of trade did not last long.

worship of the gods

Sargon was well aware of the need for a religious justification for his power, so it is natural that he relied not only on the cult of Aba, the god of the city of Akkad (perhaps his ancestral god) and the cult of Zababa, the god of Kish, but also on the Sumerian cult of Enlil in Nippur.

In his temple, he built several statues and probably richly endowed the temple, trying to win the priesthood over to his side.

He gave his daughter, who bears the Sumerian name En-hedu-Ana (lit. "Priestess of the abundance of heaven"), he gave as a priestess - en (in Akkadian entu) to the moon god Nanna in Ur; it has since become a tradition for the king's eldest daughter to be Nanna's entu.

The later statements of the moralizing Babylonian priestly chronicles, that Sargon treated the gods with disdain, are undoubtedly tendentious, as is the statement that Sargon destroyed Babylon in order to build a suburb of his capital from its bricks; the city of Babylon then had absolutely no significance.

Nobility and dependency rebellions

Then, according to legend, “the elders (that is, to know) of the whole country rebelled against him and laid siege to him in Akkad,” and Sargon, in his old age, had to flee and hide in a ditch, although he later defeated the rebels.

Hostile tribes from Subartu (that is, northern Mesopotamia and Assyria) launched attacks on Akkad. During a successful campaign, Sargon conquered Subartu, and sent the captured booty to Akkad.

At the very end of Sargon's reign, famine broke out in southern Mesopotamia, causing a new uprising throughout the country. The compilers of the chronicle attribute this famine to the wrath of the god Marduk for Sargon's destruction of Babylon. Sargon died before he could subdue this rebellion.

AKKADIAN EMPIRE

OK. 2316 - 2230 BC.

According to the most common opinion, at the end of the 4th - beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. Semites in the Syrian steppe - divided (by language) into two large groups- East and West.

From the Syrian steppe, the eastern (northeastern) group initially settled in the northern part of the Southern Mesopotamia, where it came into contact with the Sumerians (beginning of the 3rd millennium BC). Representatives of this group spoke the Akkadian language.

In Middle Mesopotamia, the Eastern Semites lived with the Sumerians, and only in the Lower, and even then only in the southern part, did the Sumerians dominate.

In Upper Mesopotamia there are cities, temples, but not with a Sumerian structure. The local population has its own attitude to temples - there are also many of them, their designs, the traditions of making metal products, types of seal styles were also their own. States and here arise in the III millennium BC.

From the middle of the 3rd millennium BC. Akkadians penetrate into the southern part of the Southern Mesopotamia, and soon the language of the northeastern group of Semites displaces the Sumerian. The further fate of this group of Semites is connected with the history of Akkad, Babylonia, Assyria.

In the last third of the III millennium BC. we see on the upper Euphrates, in upper Mesopotamia, two peoples, the Didans and the Khoneans (Abraham passed through the lands of the Chanites). This is part of the West Semitic group, which the Eastern Semites who lived in Akkad called "Westerners" (Amurru, Amorites).

Amorites(Amorites. self-name "essence", that is, the descendants of the legendary forefather Sutu; he is also Seth in the synodal translation of the Bible, Shet in Jewish texts) - a nomadic West Semitic people of ancient Western Asia. They stood out from the related Semitic tribal environment on the southern borders of Mesopotamia at the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC, when the ancestors of the Hannanes settled from them to the west.

On the northern borders of Sumer, a powerful Semitic kingdom - Akkad.

The Sumerian culture had a powerful influence on the region. The Akkadians adopted the Sumerian culture, religion and script early in their development. Gradually, the Semitic peoples penetrated deep into Sumer.

The kings of the IV dynasty of Kish, like the last rulers of Akshak, had exclusively Semitic names.

THE AGE OF INANNA/ISHTAR

SARGON ANCIENT/Sargon I/Sargon the Great/Sargon of Akkad/Sharrumken

OK. 2316 - 2261 BC e.

Head of Sargon the Great. Nineveh.

Inanna became the supreme deity. She found a man named Sargon.

"Sargon - one early Babylonian monarch, he was born from the parents of kings, was hidden by his mother from his relative - the ruler, she took him to the Euphrates and placed him in an ark of reeds, covered with mountain resin from the inside. Sargon was discovered by a man named Akki, a water carrier who adopted him".

"I will watch over you (from heaven) from my golden heavenly chamber (barques)" Inanna said to Sargon.

According to legend, Sargon came from the lower classes, it was believed that he was the adopted son of a water carrier and was a gardener and cup-bearer of the Kish king Ur-Zababa. The king of Kish was defeated by the king of Lugalzagesi (see).

Sargon was a clever, far-sighted and shrewd politician. For him, neither the weakness of the court in Kish, nor the separatist aspirations of individual dynasties were a secret.

He waited out the time when Lugalzagesi won victories and saw further than the conqueror of Umma. Sargon understood that the unification of Sumer would inevitably turn out to be short-lived, short-lived and would certainly turn against Lugalzagesi.

Having seized the right moment, Sargon, at the head of his fellow tribesmen, who were only waiting for his signal, moved his troops to Sumer and approx. 2316 BC Sargon the Great defeated Uruk, crushed its walls; in a battle with the inhabitants of Uruk, he won.

Lugalzagesi, king of Uruk, was captured in this battle, sent in a dog cage to the gates of Enlil. " When Enlil, angry like a heavenly bull, put to death the inhabitants of Kish and, like an angry bull, crushed the houses of Uruk, turning them into dust, Enlil handed over to Sargon, king of Akkad, power and kingdom in the countries from lower to upper (from southern to northern)".

The beginning of the reign of Sargon refers to the 2nd year of the reign of Uruinimgina - lugal (the 3rd year of his total reign as an ensi and as a lugal) and to the 20th year of the reign of Lugalzagesi (c. 2316 BC). Choosing the capital for his state, Sargon decided not to live in any of the traditional northern centers like Kish, Akshak or Mari, but chose a city without traditions, almost unknown, possibly located in the Sippar nome. The city was called Akkade. According to him, the Ki-Uri region has since become known as Akkad, and the East Semitic language - Akkadian.

In the beginning, Sargon extended his power to Upper Mesopotamia. In the 3rd year of his reign (c. 2313 BC), Sargon undertook a campaign to the west, that is, to Syria.

En Ebla (a city-state inhabited by Western Semites and exercising hegemony in these places), probably recognized the authority of Sargon and opened the way for him to the Mediterranean Sea.

Ensi Umma Mes-e was taken prisoner, the fate of the rulers of Lagash and Ur is unknown. The walls of all three cities were torn down.

« Sargon, the king of Akkade, the mashkim of Inanna, the king of Kish, the guda-priest of Ana, the king of the Country, the great ensi of Enlil, ravaged the city of Uruk, destroyed its walls; fought with the men of Uruk, conquered them; fought with Lugalzagesi, king of Uruk, captured him [and] brought him in neck blocks to the gates of Enlil.
Sargon, king of Akkad, fought the men of Ur, subdued them, subjugated them, ravaged their city [and] tore down its walls; devastated E-Ninmar, destroyed its walls, devastated its territory from Lagash to the sea, washed its weapons in the sea; fought with the men of Umma, conquered them, ravaged their city [and] tore down its walls.
To Sargon, king of the Land, Enlil gave no equal; [indeed] Enlil granted him all the territory from the sea above to the sea below. Akkadians (literally "sons of Akkade") received enstvo [everywhere] from the lower sea and above. The men of Mari [and] the men of Elam served Sargon, the king of the Land [as their lord].
Sargon, the king of the Country, restored Kish [and] gave this city to them [the people of Kish], as a residence.
Who ever destroys this inscription - let Utu knock out the foundation [from under] it; let him deprive him of his seed».

Such success of Sargon is explained by the fact that he, apparently, relied on a more or less voluntary militia. Sargon contrasted the traditional tactics of skirmishes between small, heavily armed detachments that fought in close formation with the tactics of large masses of lightly armed, mobile warriors, acting in chains or scattered. The Sumerian lugals, due to the lack of sufficiently flexible and resilient varieties of wood for bows in Sumer, completely abandoned small arms; Sargon, on the contrary, attached great importance to the archers, who were able from afar to shower the clumsy squads of shield-bearers and spearmen with a cloud of arrows and upset them without reaching hand-to-hand combat. Obviously, either Sargon had access to yew (or hazel) thickets in the foothills of Asia Minor or Iran, or in his time a composite or glued bow made of horn, wood and sinew was invented. In addition to the people's militia, Sargon had a standing army of 5,400 soldiers, fed at the expense of the king.

Campaign to the northwest, to Asia Minor

In the 11th year of his reign (c. 2305 BC), Sargon undertook a second campaign to the northwest. Moving along the Euphrates, Sargon conquered Tuttul (now Hit), the large city of Mari, the country of Yarimut (location is not clear), the country of Ebla and reached the Cedar Forest (that is, the mountains of Amanus) and the Silver Mountains (that is, the mountains of Asia Minor Taurus). " Sargon, king of Kish, defeated [the cities] in thirty-four battles to the sea [and] destroyed their walls. He forced the ships from Meluhha, the ships from Magan [and] the ships from Dilmun to land in the bay of Akkade.
Sargon, the king, prostrated before Dagan [and] offered him a prayer; [and] he [Dagan] granted him the upper land, [namely] Mari, Yarmuti [and] Iblu, up to the Cedar Forest [and] to the Silver Mountain.
Sargon, the king whom Enlil did not allow to have equals - 5400 warriors daily eat bread in front of him.
Who ever erases this inscription - may An erase his name; let Enlil rob him of his seed; let Inanna...". - inscription on the plate
A late tradition, in particular, the epic song "King of Battle", tells that Semitic merchants from the city of Kanesh in M. Asia turned to Sargon with a complaint about the oppression inflicted by the ruler of Purshakhanda (Puruskhand) Nur-Dagan. In response to this, Sargon "crossed the Sea of Sunset" conquered and united the "Land of Sunset". Which of these is a true historical fact and where to look for the "Land of the Sunset" is unclear. However, archaeological data do not confirm such a long-standing penetration of Akkadian traders deep into the Asia Minor Peninsula. More reliable is the Hittite tradition, which believed that Sargon crossed only over the Euphrates, a little below the exit of this river from the upland region.

Arrangement of the state

Under Sargon, the temple households were merged with the royal ones. The state of Sargon was the first attempt to create a centralized despotism, in which the unborn royal bureaucracy replaced the old tribal aristocracy, and the self-governing bodies of the city-states (council, people's assembly) were turned into a grassroots administration. Sargon rebuilt the city of Kish, and in addition to the unconventional title of "King of Akkad" and the title of the southern hegemons "King of the Country", he also took the title of the northern hegemons "king of the multitudes (shar kishshatim)", so now they began to translate the Sumerian title "lugal Kish" in Akkadian ".
Under Sargon, trade flourished. He introduced uniform measures of area, weight, etc. throughout the country, took care of maintaining land and waterways. According to legend, ships from Meluhha (went up the river with him to the pier of the city of Akkad, and among the outlandish goods here one could see elephants and monkeys. However, this flowering of trade did not last long.

worship of the gods

Sargon was well aware of the need for a religious justification for his power, so it is natural that he relied not only on the cult of Aba, the god of the city of Akkade (perhaps his ancestral god) and the cult of Zababa, the god of Kish, but also on the Sumerian cult of Enlil in Nippur. In his temple, he built several statues and probably richly endowed the temple, trying to win the priesthood over to his side. He gave his daughter, who bears the Sumerian name En-hedu-Ana (lit. "Priestess of the abundance of heaven"), he gave as a priestess - en (entu in Akkadian) to the moon god Nanna in Ur; it has since become a tradition for the king's eldest daughter to be Nanna's entu. The later statements of the moralizing Babylonian priestly chronicles, that Sargon treated the gods with disdain, are undoubtedly tendentious, as is the statement that Sargon destroyed Babylon in order to build a suburb of his capital from its bricks; the city of Babylon then had absolutely no significance.

The so-called "Mask of Sargon the Ancient". OK. 2300 BC. Iraqi Museum, Baghdad.

Relief from the palace of King Sargon in Khorsabad.

Hike to Elam

After Sargon expanded and strengthened his kingdom in the north, west and south, he undertook a campaign to Elam, where at that time there were several small nomes - states, among which the most significant were Elam proper (or Adamdun) headed by the king ( sharru) Luhhishshan and ensi (ishshakku) Sanamsimurru (?) and Varakhse with the ruler (shakkanaku) Sidgau. The campaign ended successfully, Sargon took the cities of Urua, Avan and Susa, the ruler and judge Varakhse Sidgau, the king Lukhishshan, the ensi of Elama Sanamsimurru, the ensi of the city of Khukhnura (probably modern Malamir) Zina, the ensi of the Gunilakhi region, along with other significant persons were taken prisoner . Construction timber is mentioned among the loot. However, Elam was not, apparently, simply turned into a region of the Akkadian state, obviously all the captive rulers recognized the authority of Sargon and were left by him in their places.
It is believed that after a campaign in the northern regions of Elam, Sargon conquered the countries of Kutium (Gutii) and Lullubum (Lullubei). Unfortunately, the inscriptions during the reign of Sargon do not contain direct information about his campaign in these countries. This is evidenced by indirect data. Sargon also waged war with the country of Simurrum (a city-state on the Lower Zab River), as indicated by the dated formula "the year when Sargon went to Simurrum."

At the end of his reign, Sargon the Great took the Holy Land from Babylon. The god Marduk returned to Babylon and starved the people of Sargon. Marduk recreated Babylon, he created a plumbing system, pumping water from the lowlands of Babylon to the surrounding area. The war between Marduk and Sargon's supporters continued. Marduk's brother Nergal arrived to persuade Marduk to leave Babylon. After Marduk left, Nergal destroyed the water system, a great drought began in the area.

Map of the Akkadian Empire showing Sargon's conquests.

Nobility and dependency rebellions

Sargon's state was not strong. Already at the end of his reign, fermentation began among the tribal aristocracy. Ensi Kazallu Kashtambila rebelled against the rule of Sargon. Sargon crushed this rebellion, captured Casalla and destroyed it. Then, according to legend, "the elders (that is, to know) the whole country rebelled against him and besieged him in Akkad”, and Sargon, in his old age, had to run and hide in a ditch, although he later defeated the rebels.
Hostile tribes from Subartu (that is, northern Mesopotamia and Assyria) launched attacks on Akkad. During a successful campaign, Sargon conquered Subartu, and sent the captured booty to Akkad. At the very end of Sargon's reign, famine broke out in southern Mesopotamia, causing a new uprising throughout the country. The compilers of the chronicle attribute this famine to the wrath of the god Marduk for Sargon's destruction of Babylon. Sargon died before he could crush this uprising.

Sargon ruled for 55 years.

2261 - 2252 BC e., the son of Sargon rules Rimush(lit. "Taurus of the Ear").

The first defeat of the rebels

On the monolith, as part of the text listing the gifts of the king to the temple of the sun god Shamash in Sippar, Rimush says that after the death of his father, “all the countries that my father Sargon left me rebelled against me and not one remained faithful to me.” The rebels were led by the Sumerian Kaku (or Enimkug, the reading of the name is debatable), the ruler of Ur. Umma and many other cities joined him. Rimush defeated Kaku's army, the rebels lost 8040 people killed, 5460 were taken prisoner. Then Rimush moved to the Persian Gulf and took another 5700 prisoners in the cities that joined Kaku. On the way back to Akkad, Rimush defeated Casalla. Ensi Kazallu Semite Ashared was taken prisoner. The number of those killed was 12,650 people, and another 5,864 were captured - almost the entire adult population of Kazallu. Apparently, during this campaign, Rimush raided the state of Khishepratep (or Khisheprasher), one of the kings of Elam, and destroyed several cities there.

The second defeat of the rebels

After some time, Rimush made another, more serious campaign to the southeast of Mesopotamia, where a rebellious coalition was formed, headed by the cities of Umma and Kian (Der?). Rimush defeated this coalition, the ensi of Umma and Adab were killed, and the ensi of Qian, Hallab and Lagash, as well as a number of military leaders were taken prisoner. The number of people killed in Umma and Qi'an alone was 8,900, and 3,540 were taken prisoner there.

Hike to Elam

Having thus pacified Lower Mesopotamia, Rimush, in the 3rd year of his reign (c. 2258 BC), undertook another campaign against Elam, more precisely against King Varakhse (the region of the Posht-em Kukh highlands and lands near the upper reaches of the river. Kerkhe) Apalkamash, and against the shagan (ruler or commander) of the city of Varakhse Sidgau, who had previously been subordinate to Sargon. Having defeated them, Rimush then defeated the troops of other Elamite states, "Varakhs in trouble," hastened to his aid. The number of killed and captured in this campaign was also very high. Shagan Sidgau and Shagan of the city Zahara Unkapi (or Sakarpi) were also taken prisoner.

Gifts to temples

Apparently, Rimush also undertook campaigns to the north, since in his inscription he claimed that he kept the Upper (Mediterranean) and Lower (Persian Gulf) seas and all the mountains for Enlil. The main purpose of the massacres of Rimush was to intimidate the population and suppress revolts against the Akkade dynasty. The temporary pacification of the country thus achieved testifies only to the precariousness of Rimush's power. Trying to enlist the support of the priesthood, Rimush brought abundant gifts to the temples. It is significant that, despite the capture a large number prisoners, it is apparently not necessary to talk about the emergence of direct slavery on a large scale within the royal temple households. Rimush, for example, immortalized with a special inscription on the statue a donation to the temple of Enlil in Nippur 15 kg of gold, 1.8 tons of copper from Elamite mining, and only 6 slaves and slaves. Apparently, most of the prisoners were still destroyed. "[ During it] no one made statues of lead, [but] Rimush, king of Kish, had a statue of himself made of lead. She stood before Enlil; [and] she repeated (?) about his [Rimush] virtues in the go of the gods.
Who ever destroys this inscription - let Enlil and Utu knock out [from under him] the foundations, let them deprive him of his seed. The inscription with ... ". - the inscription on the plate.

Murder of Rimush

According to legend, Rimusha killed the nobility by throwing heavy stone seals at him. Apparently, in the presence of the king it was not supposed to be with a weapon.

Rimush ruled for 9 years, but there is data on his 15-year reign.

2252 - 2237 BC e. reigns in Akkad Manishtushu. Son of Sargon, brother of Rimush.

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Formation of the Akkadian state. Reign of Sargon the Elder

Origin of Sargon

Founding your own kingdom

Victory over Lugalzagesi

Subjugation of the south of the country

Army of Sargon

Campaign to the northwest, to Asia Minor

Hike to Elam

Arrangement of the state

worship of the gods

Nobility and dependency rebellions

Surviving images of the king

List of surviving dating formulas of Sargon the Ancient

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Notes

Literature

Links

An excerpt characterizing Sargon the Ancient

Founding of the kingdom

Victory over Lugalzagesi

Army of Sargon

Subjugation of the south of the country

Expedition to Asia Minor

Hike to Elam

Arrangement of the state

worship of the gods

Nobility and dependency rebellions

What else to read

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