Contained in the 4-sided prism called the Weld-Blundell Prism with each slides containing 2 columns of ancient cuneiform, the Sumerian King List starts with a series of Kings that descended from heaven ruling for thousands of years until a cataclysmic flood and continuing with the enumeration. The list then passed by the Akkadian Kings starting with Sargon:
“Then Uruk was defeated and the kingship was taken to Agade. In Agade, Sargon, whose father was a gardener, the cupbearer of Ur-Zababa, became king, the king of Agade, who built Agade; he ruled for 56 years.”
2. The Birth-Legend of Sargon (Autobiography of Sargon of Akkade)
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| Artist’s impression of Assyrian palaces from The Monuments of Nineveh |
“Sargon, the mighty king, King of Akkade, am I
My mother as was a high priestess, my father I knew not.
My father’s family lived in the highlands,
My city is Azupiranu, which lies on the bank of the Euphrates.
My mother the high priestess conceived me, bore me in secret,
In a reed basket she placed me, sealed my lid with bitumen.
She cast me down into the river from which I could not ascend.
The river bore me, it brought me to Aqqi the water-drawer.
Aqqi the water-drawer, when lowering his bucket, did lift me up.
Aqqi the water-drawer did set me to his gardening.
While I was still a gardner, Ishtar did grow fond of me,
And so for (...) years I did reign as king.
The black-headed people (Sumerians), I did rule and govern.
With copper pickaxes, I cut my way through the most difficult mountains.
I did ascend all the high mountains,
I did traverse all the foothills,
The sealands, I did sail around three times.
Dilmun did submit to me
The Great Wall of Heaven and Earth, i did ascend"
Tablets tells the relationship between Sargon and Ur-Zababa, King of Kish. It stated that because of a frightening dream, Ur-Zababa plotted the death of his cupbearer Sargon. Sargon also appeared to be favored and protected by the gods, especially by Innanu (Ishtar). Moreover, the tablets also provided a background on Sargon to the extent of giving his father’s name - La’ibum.
“Then Sargon -- his city was the city of ……, his father was La’ibum, his mother …… -- Sargon …… with a happy heart. Since he was born ……”
“King Ur-Zababa …… and became frightened in his residence. Like a lion he urinated, sprinkling his legs, and the urine contained blood and pus. He was troubled, he was disturbed like a fish living in brackish water.”
“My king, this is my dream, which I will tell you about: There was a young woman who was as high as the heavens and as broad as the earth. She was firmly set as the base of a wall. For me, she drowned you in a great river, a river of blood."
“...holy Inana turned around toward him and blocked his way, (saying:) ‘The E-sikil is a holy house! No one polluted with blood should enter it!’”
“King Ur-Zababa despatched Sargon, the creature of the gods, to Lugal-zage-si in Unug with a message written on clay, which was about murdering Sargon.”
4. Nippur Inscription
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| A photograph reproduced by permission from Mr. Clarence Fisher's "Excavations of Nippur" |
Initially found in 1894 in Nippur and its partial content published in 1914 and additions unveiled in 1923. It detailed the extent of the conquest of Sargon. In addition, it also revealed the trade contacts of the Akkadian Empire.
“Sargon, king of Akkad, challenged (the man of) E-Nin-kimara and destroyed its walls and destroyed its land from Lagash to the sea. He washed his weapons in the sea. He challenged Umma in a battle [and he defeated the city and destroyed its walls].
To Sargon, king of lands, Enlil gave no rival; Enlil gave him the Upper Sea and the Lower Sea. From the Lower Sea, citizens of Akkad held the government. Mari and Elam were subjects to Sargon, king of lands. Sargon, king of lands, restored Kish and made (its fugitive inhabitants re)occupy the city.”
A story of Sargon’s military intervention in a dispute between Akkadian merchants and Nur-Daggal of the Kingdom of Purushanda. The narrative came from various fragments discovered from numerous ancient sites, including Amarna in Egypt, Ashur and Niniveh from Neo-Assyria, and even from Hattusa of the Hittite Empire.
“The Hero of Ishtar, to the guide of Agade, seeker of battles, the king in the midst of the palace.
To his warriors he is speaking, Sargon girds his loins…speaking to his warriors he declares ‘My warriors! With Hanish, I desire war. They have subjugated…’
…, the champion of Sargon opens his mouth, he speaks, saying to the lord of thrones, ‘As to the road, O my lord, that you wish to travel, It is a month-long, it is dangerous, as to traveling, it is arduous…sit down on a chair? Will we rest even for a moment? When our arms have no more strength, and our knees have become exhausted from walking the trails?’
At that time he opens his mouth and speaks, the spokesman of the merchants declares:
‘By your god, Zababa, who travels the roads, who proceeds on the way, who spies out the regions…for the lord of thrones, from the rising of the sun to the setting of the sun, the hearts of the merchants are vomiting, spattered with bile, disgorging upon the earth, what can Kish take from the midst of Akkade? We swore loyalty by the name Sargon, king of the universe, so we went down and now we are facing violence and we are not particularly heroic.
The necessities of the road, O King, impose, that which we shall pay, O King, but whoever will stand in his battle, the King will pay. Let the warriors of Sargon gold. Let the steers give way silver. How shall we transact our business while treachery is being carried out in the place where your god Zababa rests?’
The merchants were assembled, they entered the palace. After the merchants entered, they did not confront the warriors. Sargon opens his mouth, he speaks, ‘The King of Battle declares, ‘the fabled Purushanda, I would see its bravery, What is its direction? Which is its mountain?...’
Nur-Daggal, opening his mouth and speaking to his warriors, declares, ‘Up to now, Sargon has not come against us. May the bank, the flood or high ground prevent him! Also, the mighty mountain! May the reed thicket constitute forest, copse, and… becoming completely interlocked like knots!’
His warriors answer him, to Nur-Daggal they declare, ‘Of which kings, later or earlier, what king came and saw our lands?
Nur-Daggal had not yet finished these words in his mouth, when Sargon undermined his city, broadened the Gate of Princes,... he cast it down; in the highest part of its wall he made a breach; he smote all of his wine-intoxicated men. Sargon placed his throne before the gate. Sargon opens his mouth, speaking to his warriors, he declares, ‘Come on! Nur-Daggal, favorite of Enlil, let him stir himself! Let him humble himself! Let me behold it!
He was crowned with a tiara of gemstone on his head, a footstool of lapis lazuli at his foot. Together with 55 deputies. The sukkallu (vizier) sat before him, who, just like him, is seated on a golden throne but the king is seated like a god.
Who is exalted like the King? They made Nur-Daggal sit before Sargon. Sargon opens his mouth speaking to Nur-Daggal, he declares: ‘Come on! Nur-Daggal, favorite of Enlil, how could you say, up to now Sargon has not come to us…
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Nur-Daggal opens his mouth, he speaks to Sargon. ‘Who can tell who have revealed the way to you, O my Lord, or have caused the troops to be conveyed for you - Its is your god, Zababa, the hero of the trans-Euphrates region! What country among countries can compare with Akkade?’”
Above works are just some of the works that help in shedding a light on the life of Sargon the Great.
Bibliography:
Books:
Erskine, Andrew (ed.). A Companion to Ancient History. Chichester, West Sussex: Blackwell Publishing, 2009.
Westenholz, Joan Goodnick. Legends of the Kings of Akkade. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, 1997.
Websites:
“Sumerian King List.” Ashmolean Museum Oxford. Accessed on December 18, 2022. URL: https://www.ashmolean.org/sumerian-king-list
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