An empire is a collection of states under the sway of a core state, typically led by an emperor or a supreme leader. Thus, a state becomes an empire when it begins to conquer and dominate other states, each with distinct peoples and cultures.

The first notable villages, with a few hundred individuals, formed in Mesopotamia around 8500 BCE. Within a few thousand years, by 3500 BCE, some had evolved into cities or independent city-states inhabited even by tens of thousands.

As the human population grew due to advances made in agriculture, competition for land and other natural resources led to wars between cities. The first armies were raised, and walls were built to give protection as battles started to rampage on the fertile land between the two great ancient rivers, Euphrates and Tigris. None, however, gained an upper hand until...

A story tells that near 2350 BCE, a baby was found in a basket floating in a river near Kish, one of the many city-states in Mesopotamia. He was adopted into a new home where he thrived and became responsible for a vital irrigation system. He led a large group of labourers skilled in using weapons, perhaps reserve militia, who eventually helped him to take control of the whole city in 2334 BCE. The orphan became known as Sargon, meaning a rightful king in Akkadian.

Sargon did not settle to rule only Kish. He started to conquer other cities, tearing down their walls and placing his trusted ones in charge. By 2300 BCE, Sargon dominated not only the entire Mesopotamia (Sumerian-speaking cities in the South, Akkadian-speaking in the North) but also large areas outside. The first empire, Akkadia, had come into being, stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean.

Sargon reigned Akkadia til his death in 2279 BCE. The empire began to falter under his later relatives and lasted barely one hundred years more, eventually collapsing in 2154 BCE. Sargon, however, remained the role model for many future kings who sought to subjugate ever more peoples under their rule, and during the past 2,500 years, most humans have lived their lives in empires.

Bibliography

DK. 2022. Big History the Greatest Events of All Time from the Big Bang to Binary Code. London, United Kingdom: Penguin Random House. 375 p. ISBN 9780241515525. Pages 271, 287-289.

Harari, Y. N. 2015. Sapiens a Brief History of Humankind. London, United Kingdom: Vintage. 512 p. ISBN 9780099590088. Pages 212-217.

Strathern, P. 2019. Rise and Fall a History of the World in Ten Empires. London, United Kingdom: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd. 262 p. ISBN 9781473698666. Pages 13-28.

Davidson, P. 2018. Atlas of Empires the World’s Great Powers from Ancient Times to Today. London, United Kingdom: CompanionHouse Books. 240 p. ISBN 9781620082874. Pages 7-18.

Svärd, S. & Töyräänvuori, J. 2022. Muinaisen Lähi-Idän Imperiumit. Helsinki, Finland: Gaudeamus. 296 p. ISBN 9789523451711. Pages 26-28.

Potter, W. 2023. Homo Sapiens the History of Humanity And the Development of Civilization. London, United Kingdom: Arcturus Publishing Limited. 256 p. ISBN 9781788280914. Page 58.

Harrison, T. 2021. The Great Empires of the Ancient World. London, United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson. 240 p. ISBN 9780500295885. Pages 11-14.

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2100 BCE
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2650 BCE
Building pyramids

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