Often described as the world’s first empire-builder, Sargon of Akkad may not entirely deserve that title. But he’s the earliest empire-builder to achieve lasting notoriety.
Join CJ as he discusses:
- A brief excerpt from “The Legend of Sargon”
- The historical context of ancient Mesopotamia and the Sumerians who peopled most of the southern part of the region which Sargon later conquered
- Sargon’s rise from obscurity to the throne of Kish
- His subsequent conquest of virtually all of Mesopotamia into one empire
- The efforts of Sargon & his heirs to centralize their rule over this empire, with partial success
- Sargon’s death, and a little bit about some of his successors, including Naram-Sin
- Some thoughts about the degree to which Sargon was a prototype for many of the “great” rulers and conquerors who came later, and whether conventional notions of “greatness” might in fact have a tinge of psychopathy that serves the rulers’ interests
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