After Sumer: Akkad, Assyria and the Babylonian empires
Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence
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Akkad, the first empire in Mesopotamia
Topic What we know Dates about 2350 to 2150 BCE, named after the city of Agade (also called Akkad) First king ? How it began Sargon brought the rival city-states of Sumer under one rule by conquest Greatest size under Naram-Sin (ruled about 2260 to 2223 BCE): Anatolia in the north, inner Iran in the east, Arabia in the south and the Mediterranean in the west The end city rulers in the south took back their independence; the last kings ruled only the land around Agade The cell marked ? is blank. Below the chart: before Akkad, Sumer was split into rival city-states. The city of Agade has not been found yet. Sources give slightly different dates (another gives Sargon's reign as 2334 to 2279 BCE).
Ari's chart has a blank: who was Akkad's first king, and when did he rule?
- Naram-Sin, about 2260 to 2223 BCE
- Sargon, about 2340 to 2285 BCE
- Sargon, from about 2285 to 2340 BCE
- Hammurabi, about 1792 to 1750 BCE
Bo's chart has a blank: how did the empire of Akkad begin?
- Sumer's cities voted to join under one king
- Sargon brought Sumer's rival cities under one rule
- Hammurabi made Babylon the capital of the south
- Naram-Sin's lands reached the Mediterranean Sea
Kira's chart has a blank: how did the empire of Akkad end?
- Southern city rulers took back their independence
- Its last kings ruled more land than Sargon had
- It grew until it reached the Mediterranean
- Cyrus II of Persia took its capital in 539 BCE
Akkad, the first empire in Mesopotamia
Topic What we know Dates about 2350 to 2150 BCE, named after the city of Agade (also called Akkad) First king Sargon, who ruled about 2340 to 2285 BCE; the name means "the king is legitimate" How it began Sargon brought the rival city-states of Sumer under one rule by conquest Greatest size under Naram-Sin (ruled about 2260 to 2223 BCE): Anatolia in the north, inner Iran in the east, Arabia in the south and the Mediterranean in the west The end city rulers in the south took back their independence; the last kings ruled only the land around Agade Below the chart: before Akkad, Sumer was split into rival city-states. The city of Agade has not been found yet. Sources give slightly different dates (another gives Sargon's reign as 2334 to 2279 BCE).
Akkad is called an empire. What does empire mean, Jun asks?
- A group of equal cities that vote on laws
- A long canal that carries river water to farms
- A single city and its fields, with its own king
- Many lands and peoples ruled by one ruler
Before Akkad, Sumer was split into city-states. What is a city-state, Luz asks?
- Many lands ruled together from one capital city
- A road that joins two cities across a desert
- A city with no ruler and no laws of its own
- One city and its nearby land, with its own ruler
Sargon's name means "the king is legitimate." What does legitimate mean here, Milo asks?
- Very old and wise
- Born in the city of Agade
- Rightful, by law or custom
- Chosen by a vote of the people
How far west did Akkad reach at its greatest size, Pia asks?
- To Arabia
- To the Mediterranean
- To the Nile valley in Egypt
- To inner Iran
Why does the chart put about before Akkad's dates, Tala asks?
- BCE dates count up, so they are unsure
- The empire lasted exactly 200 years
- A calendar was found buried at Agade
- Sources give slightly different dates
Which king ruled first, Sargon or Naram-Sin, and why, Zee asks?
- Naram-Sin, since the chart lists him lower
- Naram-Sin, since 2260 is the smaller number
- Sargon, since 2340 BCE is earlier than 2260 BCE
- They ruled at the same time, side by side
The note says Agade has not been found yet. Which claim fits that, Esme asks?
- Agade lies under the Mediterranean
- Its exact place is still unknown
- Agade did not exist
- Agade was later renamed Babylon