The

Neolithic
Revolution
AKKAD
By Anna, Babe, Toto, New, Peng and
June
 Contents
Time period cities ......2

City 3

Rise and Fall ......4

Beliefs (religion) ......5

Writing ......6

Art ......7

Inventions ...8

Slavery ...9

Economy .10

Government ....11

Addition Questions .12-13

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2
TIME

Time period cities

City
Akkadian city has The Ziggurat at the center of the city and big ladder leading
to it. There are walls all over the city. Around the city there is canal or river and maybe a
also the harbour. There are many of coconut trees or palm trees too. There are places
for animal farming and agriculture. The city is made of stone and sandstone. Akkad was
the capital city of the Akkadian Empire. Nobody could define where is Akkad was but
there are some evidences shown that, they were in the east of Tigris, between the
modern city of Samarra and Baghdad.
Some said the city was located along the western bank of the Euphrate River
between the cities of Sippar and Kish or perhaps between Mari and Babylon Or
maybe somewhere along the Euphrates. Moreover, the city also known as Agade.

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 Rise and Fall
The main city of Akkad was
Agade with the lead of the great
military general, King Sargon.
Which mean Akkad came after
Sumer, as Sumer was weakened
at that time because they didnt
have any person leading them
or an empire. From that, this
was the benefit for Akkad to
conquered Sumer. They were
fighting over land and water.
Maybe, because during that
time Akkad didnt know how to
farm and Sumer was the one who created that, so Akkad just wanted to come and take all the
food away.
He united the city states and improved government, also military. In addition, King Sargon was
a great military general, so he taught the soldiers how to fight. From that, they worshipped him
and he got all the control of Mesopotamia. Moreover, he destroyed city state wall and put loyal
Akkadian government in charge of the city state. So then, we ruled for 56 years and became the
first person created empire.
Furthermore, Agade become the richest and the most powerful city in that moment. However,
Akkadians still used Sumers irrigation system and Sumers culture and they worshipped the
same GOD with Sumer but with different name. Example of Anu for Akkadian but Enki for
Sumerian, which was the god of water.
Even created 3D sculptures called Steles, Victory Steles by King Sargons grandson (King Naram-
sin).
However, Akkadian Empire collapsed when King Sargons grandson took the turn to rule the
city, which was King Naram-sin. During this time, the Empire became weaker and there was a
period of anarchy between 2192 BC and 2168 BC. Shu Durul then appeared to restored the city
but unfortunately, he was unable to prevent outright from the invasion of barbarian peoples
from Zagros Mountains, which also known as Gutians. Conflict between them which leads to
the collapse of the empire and the Guti subsequently overran southern Mesopotamia and
formed a royal dynasty in Sumer, which this was the time Sumer returned under the rules of
Gutian.

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 Belief (Religion)
The Akkadians
didnt believe in
afterlife.They held no
prospect of an afterlife.
There was no
judgment after death, a
common fate awaiting the
good and the bad alike
They understood
that death was in term of
frighten and fear by any
hope of salvation through
human effort or divine
compassion. They thought the death were the most horrible being in early Mesopotamian
demonology. Its called The descent of Ishtar to the underworld Ishtar is the goddess of
fertility, love, war and sex. The descent of Ishtar to the underworld She describes her descent
to the underworld.Its about how she pass all 7 gates. She have to shed 1 article clothing when
she passes each gate. She was naked when she was 7th gate and she was imprison. Also,She
have 60 diseases against her because Ereshkigal ordered her to. After she arrived to the
underworld,all the sexual activity was stop. So, EA created intersex and sent the information to
Ereshkigal tell them to invoke The name of great godsThey want her bag containing of waters
of the life. So, she had to give them the water of life. Then, theyre revving her. She passed back
7 gates with getting 1 article of clothing back each gate. All of this story, it is not surprising that
offering to the dead were made in a spirit of fear.

KEYS:
- EA: known as a GOD, which for water.

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 Writing (Language)
Akkadian was a semitic language spoken in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq and Syria)
between about 2,800 BC and 500 AD. The Akkadian cuneiform script was transformed
to Sumerian cuneiform but many Sumerian words were borrowed into Akkadian that
were spoken in old Mesopotamia. They used the cuneiform writing system was named
after the city of Akkad But their own language was founded of Akkad by many
centuries. Akkadian names were first prove in Sumerian texts from around the mid 3rd-
millennium BC. From the second half of the third millennium BC (ca. 2500 BC), texts
were fully used to write in Akkadian period.

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 Art
Comparing to the other country in that time period, Akkadians are known to be
the superior artistic skills. Akkadian art was all about showing how impressive the rulers
were, their enemies destroyed or carried away a lot of Akkadian art after the rulers lost
battles. Moreover, Akkadian art was so impressive that their enemies destroyed and
carried away a lot of their arts. Also, the head of Sargon had its eyes gouged out and its
cut off. Furthermore, their enemies were doing that because they want to show others
that they had destroyed and conquered Akkadian, because during this time, Akkad was
the first kingdom have empire. The two pictures at the right was created by King
Sargons
grandson
, known
as King
Nam Sin.

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 Inventions
In the Mesopotamian lot of things are invented and the Akkadian empire is the
first to invent the abacus.
The abacus from Mesopotamia's time looks quite similar to our abacus from
today. They are also invent some other cool things like wheels, not only things but also
a road.

The first picture shows the first abacus that invented and the 2nd picture
shows the abacus from today.
3,500 BC ago

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 Slavery
Almost slave in Akkad Empire both women and men were captured in
wars. So,they got more population from that.If there were lots of slaves,they
would be slaughtered. Slave is important in that era because they made a lot of
bud bricks and made all the buildings that made the empire magnificent. If free
women or men marry a slave, the one thats a slave will be free also their children
totally free. Owner of slaves did not care if they treat slaves bad or good even if
slaves will die. They think that slaves were thought of property, a tool, even an

animal.

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 Economy of Akkad
The economy of Akkad depends on a rich agriculture at the time. Economy
of Akkad was short of almost everything else, particularly metal ores, timber and
building stone which all of these had to be imported. Akkad make trade with
foreign peoples to secure access of products like metal and wood and if once
control of it, the empire is integrity. Also Akkad had roads that were built to
connect the empire.
They have two principal centres which are:
- The irrigated farmlands of southern Iraq. That have a yield of 30 grains
returned for each grain sown.
- The rain-fed agriculture of northern Iraq. Also known as the Upper
Country
However, in the southern Iraq, Akkadian period seems to have been
approaching its modern rainfall level of less than 20 mm per year. This leads to
drought soil and reducing yields of wheat in the southern. But with the lead of the
empire this have been improved.

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 Government
The Akkadians lived in north of Mesopotamia while
the Sumerians lived in the south. Akkadians and
Sumerians had a similar government and culture as
the Sumerians, but spoke didnt speak same
language. The government includes many individual
city-states. Each city had their own ruler that
controlled the city and the surrounding area.
Basically these city-states were not united and often
warred with each other.
Over time, the Akkadian rulers began to see the
advantage of uniting many of their cities under a
single nation. They began to form alliances and
work together.
Sargon of Akkad from the Iraqi Directorate General
of Antiquities Sargon the Great Around 2300 BC
Sargon the Great rose to power. He established his
own city named Akkad. When the powerful
Sumerian city of Uruk attacked his city, he fought
back and eventually conquered Uruk. He then went
on to conquer all of the Sumerian city-states and
united northern and southern Mesopotamia under a
single ruler.

Sargon

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 Addition Questions
1. Conflicts often arose among the city-states. What caused these conflicts?
What happened as a result of these conflicts?
- Through what our group had researched, we have found that these conflicts
mostly happened because of land and water and wanting to take control of the
city-states. As we already known that during this time, we didnt have enough
technology like now that can go to the market to buy food, but the past, they have
to hunt and farming. From that, we think that if the king took control then they
created a Specialization of Labour, which he could command them to do
everything. After all, the results came out with different kingdom rose after they
conquered and took the control.

2. Sargon of Akkad was able to unite the city-states of Sumer and create the
worlds first empire. When eventually happened to his empire?
- As King Sargon came down, and King Nam Sin, which was his grandson, took
the place to get the control. His grandson didnt have much skill as King Sargon.
From that, the Empire became weaker and there was a period of anarchy
between 2192 BC and 2168 BC. Moreover, they even have the conflict between
Akkad and Gutians which leaded them to the collapse of empire.

3. Why do civilizations rise and fall?

- All kingdoms rose by conquering other kingdoms. From that, one kingdom fall,
another rise
- Because the king from other kingdoms want to take control the whole city-states.
- Natural Hazard - which is also known as disaster. And the old men couldnt adapt
the weathers or also for the farming which make them run out of the resources.
So as this kingdom fall, this is the benefit for the other kingdoms to rise.

4. How did the physical features of a region influence the development of

Mesopotamia?
- As Mesopotamia is made up of different regions, which caused them to develop
in the different physical features, because of the resources found there affected
the ways that people lived.
- Such as Northern Mesopotamia is made up of hills and plains. From that, they
didnt effective much of flooding because they were on the high place. However,
as they were too higher up, which were difficult for them to get the resources and

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 water for farming, which the land there might be drought. From that, the land kept
worn and change their physical features, as the wind blow the soil away.
- However, for Southern Mesopotamia is made up of marshy areas and wide, flat,
barren plains. Also lay along the rivers, so during the rainy season, this could
create flooding. As they already cut off tree for farming, so they didnt have
enough tree for doing the evaporation through the tree leaves to the sky.
Moreover, as they near the river, the water level will be increase, which could
push into the farm. From that, it would need to take time for drying up. So this
could expand the river size, as the rocks from the upper course flow down with a
high speed and corrode into the the river wall.

5. What evidence of Mesopotamia is present in the modern world?

- The anthropologist and archaeologist found the indicate the existence of a grain
grinding and farming culture along the Nile. Even found out that was in the
Southwestern corner of Egypt, near the Sudan border. Also, the climate change
began to change as the effect of old people doing with the land. Moreover, they
even found the artwork, building and symbols on Gerzean pottery resemble
traditional Egyptian hieroglyph writing. So they have researched and found out
about Mesopotamia.

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