The Sargonic and Ur III Empires

Abstract

This chapter surveys the history of arguably the two earliest empires on record, both of which originated in Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq). The first of them was founded, ca. 2350 BCE, by Sargon of Akkade, reaching the apex of its power under Sargon’s grandson Naram-Suen. The Akkadian rulers conquered an area extending from eastern Iran to Anatolia, a feat that was not to be replicated until the times of the Neo-Assyrian Empire in the first millennium BCE. However, the Sargonic Empire, which lasted roughly 150 years, never developed an articulated system of imperial control over the conquered territories, its basic raison-d’être rather being the control and exploitation of trade routes. After a passage of roughly one century, another imperial experiment was undertaken, ca. 2050 BCE, by a king of Ur named Šulgi. The empire of Ur had clearly been inspired by the Sargonic example, as it was motivated by similar economic and ideological objectives. While the extent of Ur’s territorial expansion was much more limited, Šulgi and his successors were able to create an exquisitely designed mini-empire, whose operations were guided by a characteristically self-limiting (and largely defensive) strategy, and which was much more internally cohesive and better organized than Sargon’s creation. In spite of its seeming perfection, this—equally brief—imperial experiment also failed, even more resoundingly than the Sargonic one. The causes of the collapse of the two empires are considered in detail.

The Political Economy of Livestock in Early States

“…The dynasty began in 2112 bce, when Ur-Nammu, the governor of Ur, set out to conquer the other Sumerian cities (Table 1; Stępień 2009, 10–15). The exact nature of the Ur III state is much debated; here, we largely follow the interpretations of Steinkeller (1987; 2020), Stępień (2009) and Sharlach (2004).…”

“…The Inca Empire was also much larger than the Ur III territory (1.96 million versus 256,000 sq. km, following maps in D'Altroy (2015) and Steinkeller (2020)). The suite of domesticated mammals forms a third contrast.…”

“…Shulgi's three successors ruled the Ur III state for another 43 years (Stępień 2009, 28–50). Their reigns were characterized by increasing anxiety over foreign invaders, in particular the Amorites (Steinkeller 2020, 67). The later years of Ibbi-Sin's reign saw famine and military disaster, with the defection of the governor of Isin and the Elamite sack of Ur in 2004 bce delivering the final blows to the Ur III state (Stępień 2009, 46–7).…”

State Production and Market at Ebla – Animal and Wool Values

“…21 On the Uruk period, see Algaze 2001. According to Steinkeller (2021, and2022) international commerce was the main motivation behind the Sargonic expansion. On the activity of the Ur III merchant, see Snell 1975. The case of lapis lazuli (mentioned above) exemplifies how an exotic good could be obtained by Ebla, more exactly how much through diplomatic relations and how much from the market.…”