It’s our first installment of the Young Historians Corner, where we get to hear from rising historians. What are they passionate about? Who’s their favorite person from history? Why should we learn more?

In the Young Historians Corner, every story is dreamed up and written by students with a passion for the past.

This month, we’re sharing the legendary story of Sargon of Akkad, written by one of our incredible young historians, Sahil. Have you heard the tale of this ancient ruler? Keep reading to learn all about the man who ruled the first empire.

 

Introducing ...

SARGON OF AKKAD: FROM RAGS TO RICHES

By Sahil P.

Grade 9

A child floats down a river, unaware of the cruel fate that is awaiting him and oblivious to the great future ahead of him. It sounds familiar, right? Harry Potter, Simba, Moses, and many other heroes go through this journey—absent parents, great destiny, and an amazing adventure. But let me tell you a new story, one set thousands of years ago—the tale of Sargon of Akkad, the first emperor in history and a man who rose from rags to riches.

Not much is known about why the unfortunate baby ended up floating aimlessly down a river. Still, many historians agree that Sargon may have been an outcome of a forbidden romance or a secret pregnancy. In fact, his real name was unknown; Sargon was a name he adopted, and it roughly translates to “rightful king”. Needless to say, our hero’s story isn’t over yet. A kind gardener named Akki found the baby and chose to raise him as his own. Akki was a gardener for the great King Ur-Zababa (whom you would call the first villain of this story). 

A powerful king like Sargon typically attributes his great success to his lineage. Often, kings even claimed to be descendants of gods. The emperors of China attained the Mandate of Heaven, which stated that the king was chosen by the gods, while the pharaohs of Egypt were gods to their people. Sargon, however, wasn’t afraid to admit that he was born of a woman whom he didn’t even know and that he was neither a blessed nor a divine child. Of course, it is possible that this is entirely fictitious and that Sargon simply crafted a humble story to appeal to his people. One thing is for certain: a great ruler emerged from this tale!

However, one does not simply become a king; one must rise through the ranks of society to achieve this high status, and that is exactly what Sargon did. 

In fact, he became the king’s cupbearer–not the most glamorous title–but effectively, second in command after the king. A cupbearer is the one who tastes the king's food to ensure it isn’t poisoned, and the post even comes with a claim to the throne. This is truly an already impressive post for someone without a political background. 

Detail of a relief of the eastern stairs of the Apadana at Persepolis. Photo by Phillip Maiwald (Nikopol), Multi-license with GFDL and Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-3.0, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic, and 1.0 Generic license.

Then came the dream! I know this sounds like a cliché story you’ve probably seen many times in movies, but where do you think these story tropes originated from? Sargon was truly the original! Ur-Zababa was still very much in power, only rivaled by King Lugal-Zagesi of the city of Umma. He was, however, very careful about what happened within his empire and remained vigilant for rebellions. Meanwhile, Sargon had a dream that would change the course of his life forever.

Sargon was in deep sleep when the goddess Inanna visited him, but she ended up killing Ur- Zababa, leaving Sargon as the sole survivor of the encounter. Ur-Zababa was not pleased to read about this dream and sent Sargon on a supposed “diplomatic mission” to King Lugal-Zagesi, which Sargon eagerly accepted, knowing that he might end a decades-long conflict. But (there’s always a but in these stories), the tablet that supposedly contained a diplomatic message actually bore an inscription that more or less read:

“Kill whoever delivers this message.”

Sargon was, unsurprisingly, furious when he learned of this turn of events and convinced King Lugal-Zagesi that he would help him defeat Ur-Zababa in a war if he were allowed to rule Kish. It was a pretty good deal if you ask me—and Lugal-Zagesi must have thought so too! Remember, Sargon was Ur-Zababa’s cupbearer, and if anyone knew anything about the kingdom beyond the king, it would have been Sargon. Lugal Zagesi led a massive invasion of Kish and with Sargon’s knowledge by his side, it was a wipeout.

Let’s skip ahead a few years. Sargon was now the king of Kish, and he was looking for an opportunity to expand his empire. At this point, Sargon was merely a small ruler compared to the powerful Lugal-Zagesi. Lugal-Zagesi, at the time, held a massive kingdom that, according to ancient Sumerians (inhabitants of Mesopotamia, current day Iraq), had reached the ends of the world, but Sargon would have none of it. He fought Lugal-Zagesi in a massive war. He set fire to the walls of Uruk, the capital of Lugal-Zagesi, and allegedly dragged him by the neck before killing him in front of the shrine of the god Enlil. This was the god that Lugal-Zagesi believed gave him the power to rule, quite a savage act on Sargon’s part. Thus, the Akkadian empire was established, governing over 800,000 square kilometers and encompassing more land than any previous kingdom ever controlled, crowning it the world’s first empire!

Bronze head of an Akkadian ruler, likely Sargon the Great.

Sargon's empire, a testament to his ambition and an inspiring story, ultimately endured for only four generations after the great king, which, in historical terms, is not a significant duration. However, his story is truly inspiring—from a baby drifting down a river to the son of a gardener to the man battling Lugal-Zagesi for the title of world’s first emperor.  His story, etched in the annals of history, is a testament to the enduring power of human will and to what truly can be accomplished if we set our minds to something.

So, my friends, does Sargon’s story live up to the hype surrounding his fictional counterparts?

Would you like to be featured on our next installment of the Young Historians Corner? We’d love to hear from you! Send us an email and let us know what topic you’d like to write about.