Circa 2334 - Circa 2279 B.C.E.
King Of Akkad

Origins. Sargon, the first ruler of the Akkadian Dynasty, was of humble origin. The Sumerian King List says his father was a gardener and does not include his personal name. Another source says his father was a certain La'ibum, a name that may be associated with a skin disease. Sargon's Birth Legend, of uncertain origin, indicates that he never knew his father. According to this folktale, his mother, an entu (high) priestess, found it necessary to hide her infant. She set the child in a reed basket sealed with bitumen to make it watertight. The basket was placed in a river and floated away. Akki, a drawer of water, rescued the child and reared him as his son, teaching him to be a gardener who raised dates. The goddess Ishtar/ Inana took a liking to the...