the akkadians: geographical and temporal location, political organization, economy, evolution historical… Everything you need to know to know the basics about this important town of the ancient eastin a very simple study guide, as we have done in our previous article with the Sumerians.
Geographical area
the akkadians They are a people of Semitic origin who formerly came from Syria, but migrated to the fertile lands of the Mesopotamia. There they settled in Northern Mesopotamian regionin an area known as akkad (hence the name of Akkadians). the center of your empire was the city from Agade (also known as akkad).
Time frame
The predominance of the Akkadians begins in the year 2350 BC, when the King Sargon take the power of kish city and then start the conquest of all the Mesopotamia. the end of akkadian empire It is close to the first half of the XXII century BC (between 2200 BC and 2150 BC) when the guts they invaded akkad and subjected to the akkadians.
Type of political organization
the akkadians formed the first Empire Unified of the Ancient Mesopotamia. The way of government was the monarchy hereditary, that is to say, at the head of the State there was a King when he died he was succeeded by his sons.
The religion of the Akkadians
The akkadians they practiced a polytheistic religion which had many points in common with that of other Mesopotamian civilizations, such as that of the Sumerians. Thus, we find ourselves in the first place with a political and social organization where religion was very important, where there was a powerful priestly charter and where the ruler was considered the representative of the gods on Earth. The gods of akkadian mythology they were, in general, related to the different natural phenomena and the explanation of the forms of life linked to Acadian society. The gods that make up Akkadian mythology are very numerous, but the following can be considered the most important:
An or Anu: The god An was the god of the sky and was also considered the supreme ruler of all the gods, also being under his command different phenomena related to the heavens, such as the stars and constellations. As in other mythologies, such as the Greek, where the sky god Uranus was described in the same way, in Sumerian mythology An was represented as a celestial dome that covered the Earth. The Akkadians inherited from the Sumerians this representation of the god of Heaven who, as supreme god, also had under his control the destiny of the rest of the celestial and divine beings. Therefore, among his most important attributions, there was also that of judging the human and divine crimes that were committed and imposing punishments for them.
Enlil or Bea: The god Enlil makes his appearance as a god of outstanding importance not only in Akkadian cosmology, but also in other related cultures, such as Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian or Hittite. Enlil was the god associated with the winds, storms and breathing. Enlil is also the father of various natural divinities, such as the moon god or the goddess of wheat. Because of Enlil’s close relationship with the world of agriculture, being considered responsible for storms and, as a consequence, also for rain, he was one of the most prominent gods in the Akkadian pantheon.
Sin or Nanna: Sin was the moon god of the Akkadian pantheon, who is called Nanna in Sumerian. He was the main god of the city of Ur, therefore, during the period of dominance of this city-state, he reached a pre-eminence that could rival that of the aforementioned god An. Sin also had the important award of god of wisdom and of the related arts, given the relationship of the moon with the knowledge of astronomy and astrological divinations, extremely important aspects in the Mesopotamian culture.
utu: Utu was the Akkadian god of the Sun. The concept of the sun was of great importance in an agrarian-based society such as the Mesopotamian one, despite the fact that the god Utu is surpassed in importance by other gods, such as the aforementioned god An. considered as the god of justice and truth, since the sun sees everything and knows everything.
Ishtar: The goddess Ishtar is one of the Mesopotamian goddesses best known today for the famous remains of monuments dedicated to her that are preserved in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. The goddess Ishtar was the goddess of fertility, love, sex and also passionate and angry war. There are many myths related to this popular goddess and her numerous lovers, and her worship has even been related to sacred prostitution rituals, although it is a point that has not yet been clearly demonstrated. As in all ancient civilizations, fertility was a fundamental aspect of life, economy and social organization, which is why Ishtar is considered a very popular goddess. Likewise, Ishtar is considered to be a divinity parallel to other goddesses from other mythologies of the ancient world, such as the Semitic goddess Astarte or the Greek Aphrodite.
Other important gods of the Akkadian pantheon were Enki or Ea, the creator of man or the god Shamash, also linked to the cult of the sun.
You can learn more about ancient Mesopotamia and the Akkadian Empire in the following video:
We invite you to continue with this Study Guide on the Akkadians in our next article: