Naram-Sin
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Naram-Sin (2155 BC–2119 BC short chronology). Under Naram-Sin (the third successor and grandson of Sargon), the Akkadian Empire reached its zenith. He was the first Mesopotamian king to claim divinity, and the first to be called "King of the Four Quarters". He traded with the Indus Valley civilization in current Pakistan (see Meluhha) and controlled a large portion of land along the Persian Gulf. Naram-Sin expanded his empire by defeating the King of Magan at the southern end of the Persian Gulf and conquering the hill tribes northwards in the Taurus Mountains. He built administrative centers at Tell Brak and Nineveh.
Part of mesopotamian mythology has it that the Goddess Inanna abandoned the former capital of Akkad due to Naram-sin's plunder of the Ekur (temple of the god Enlil) in Nippur. In his anger, Enlil brought the Gutians down from the hills to bring plague, famine and death throughout Mesopotamia. To prevent this destruction eight of the gods decreed that Agade (Akkad) should be destroyed to spare the remaining cities. While this story is mostly mythological, it does suggest that Gutian raids contributing to the downfall of the Akkadian empire began during this period.
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References
- This entry incorporates text originally by H.W.F. Saggs from The Babylonians, Fourth Printing. Copyright © 1988 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.
Categories: Sumer