The First King in the History of the World
He was abandoned by his mother at birth but became the greatest king of his time
The world’s first empire was established in Mesopotamia by King Sargon of Akkad more than 4000 years ago.
Although there had been several kings before him, King Sargon is referred to as the first king because he founded the first empire in the history of the world in 2330 B.C.E.
According to a Neo-Assyrian text from the 7th century BC, a certain priestess secretly bore a child and left him by the river. Shortly after, a man named Akki who was fetching water from the river found the baby and decided to raise it as his. That baby was Sargon — the future King of Mesopotamia.
Growing up in Akki’s home, Sargon worked as a gardener. There he was constantly visited by a goddess named Ishtar — the goddess of love, beauty, sex, and political power. Ishtar — also known as Inanna — would constantly give prophecies of Sargon’s greatness and his supposed destiny to rule. These prophecies were said to be the main motivation behind Sargon.
Sargon’s Rise to Power
According to Sumerian text, Ur-Zababa the king of the fourth dynasty of Kish had…
