The Akkadians: From Sargon the Great to the Gutian Invasion

Episode 2! The Akkadians: Sargon the Great to the Gutian Invasion covers one of the most  impressive empires of the ancient world, and likely the first multinational empire in human history. In this episode I dive in to the origin story of the man who began the empire around 2334BC - Sargon the Great. We'll discover how it's thought he went from a position in the gardens of King Ur-Zababa of the 4th Dynasty of Kish to his most trusted advisor--eventually establishing one of the most prominent empires of the ancient world after Ur-Zababa loses his city to King Lugalzaggesi of Umma. I'll talk about the rise of Sargon's grandson, Naram-Sin, the Akkadian Empire's most effective and prolific ruler, and the eventual fall of the Akkadian empire due to famine and an invading force of Gutians from the north and east. 

Join me on this adventure into 3rd millennium BC Mesopotamia and discover a people who, though they only ruled for a short time, left an indelible mark for all of human history.