Covering the Sumerian territories of the Akkadian Empire
Covering the Sumerian territories of the Akkadian Empire
Naram-Sin or Naram-Suen "beloved of the moon god, the definitive name of the god died ca. 2218 BC) was the ruler of the Akkadian Empire who reigned ca. 2255–2218 BC. He was the third successor and grandson of King Sargon of Akkad. Under Naram-Sin's rule the empire expanded to its limits. He was the first Mesopotamian king known to claim divinity for himself taking the title "God of Akkad" and the first to claim the title "King of the Four Kingdoms". His military power was so great that he suppressed rebellions and expanded the empire to places such as Turkey and Iran. He became the city god of Akkad while Enlil was in Nippur. His enduring fame led to later rulers including Naram-Sin of Esnunna and Naram-Sin of Assyria as well as Naram-Sin of Uruk who bore that name.
The Akkadian Empire emerged as one of the earliest great powers in ancient Mesopotamia. The cradle of civilization, the empire was a continuation of the ancient Sumerian culture centered around the Akkadian city-state where powerful rulers expanded their territory and subjugated their neighbors.
The rulers of the Akkadian Empire the first conquerors in recorded history must have been truly powerful creating something that had never been done before: an empire. Their power is often reflected in monuments and stelae that tell of their great deeds and conquests. The Triumphal Arch of Naramsin is one of the best preserved and most detailed monuments representing one of the conquests of the Akkadian Empire.
A major event during Naramsin's reign was the widespread rebellion against the Akkadian Empire. The empire founded by his grandfather Sargon the first ruler of the Akkadian Empire stretched westward to Syria in places like Tel Aviv and Tellilan, eastward to Elam and related polities in that region to southern Anatolia in the north and to the "Lower Sea" in the south encompassing all the original Sumerian powers such as Uruk Ur and Lagash. All of these political entities had long histories as independent powers and would reassert their interests from time to time.
Throughout the life of the Akkadian Empire Naram Sin (2254–2218 BC) defended and expanded the imperial borders left by his grandfather Sargon. He fought in the south against the Sumerians in the east against the Elamites, and in the north against Anatolia. In his own Declamhari, he describes fighting an army made up of 17 kingdoms in Anatolia including Purushanda, Karsaura, Puddle, and Pampa. This army was led by the king of Hatti.
