The Legend of Sargon

THE LEGEND OF SARGON

Assyrians Called him "Sargon the Assyrian", son of Ikunum, and reckons him as one of their Empire's founders.

Portions of this work contributed by Robert A. Guisepi and F. Roy Williams, University of California

[Ancient Near Eastern Texts 119]

Sargon, the mighty king, king of Agade, am I.
MY mother was a changeling1, my father I knew not.
The brother(s) of my father loved the hills.
My city is Azupiranu, which is situated on the banks of the Euphrates.
My changeling mother conceived me, in secret she bore me.
She set me in a basket of rushes, with bitumen she sealed
My lid.
She cast me into the river which rose not (over) me,
The river bore me up and carried me to Akki, the
drawer of water.
Akki, the drawer of water lifted me out as he dipped his
e[w]er.
Akki, the drawer of water, [took me] as his son
(and) reared me.
Akki, the drawer of water, appointed me as his gardener,
While I was a gardener, Ishtar granted me (her) love,
And for four and [ ... ] years I exercised kingship,
The black-headed [people] I ruled, I gov[erned];
Mighty [moun]tains with chip-axes of bronze I con-
quered,
The upper ranges I scaled,
The lower ranges I [trav]ersed,
The sea [lan]ds three times I circled.
Dilmun my [hand] cap[tured],
[To] the great Der I [went up], I [. . . ],
[ . . . ] I altered and [. . .].
Whatever king may come up after me,
[. . .]
Let him r[ule, let him govern] the black-headed
[peo]ple;
[Let him conquer] mighty [mountains] with chip-axe[s
of bronze],
[Let] him scale the upper ranges,
[Let him traverse the lower ranges],
Let him circle the sea [lan]ds three times!
[Dilmun let his hand capture],
Let him go up [to] the great Der and [. . . ]!
[. . .] from my city, Aga[de ... ]
[. . . ] . . . [. . .].
(Remainder broken away.)

1. There is no indication as to whether the term refers to a change in the social, religious, or national status.

Source:

From: George A. Barton, Archaeology and The Bible, 3rd Ed., (Philadelphia: American Sunday-School Union, 1920), p. 310.

Scanned by: J. S. Arkenberg, Dept. of History, Cal. State Fullerton. Prof. Arkenberg has modernized the text.

Sargon of Akkad

Sargon of Akkad, or Sargon the Great (Akkadian Sharru-kin, "the true king", reigned 2334 BC - 2279 BC, short chronology), founder of the Dynasty of Akkad. Sometimes he is referred to Sargon I. He is only the third king in recorded history to have created an empire, after the Sumerians Lugal-anne-mundu and Lugal-zage-si. Sargon's vast empire is known to have extended from Elam to the Mediterranean sea, including Mesopotamia and possibly parts of Anatolia. He ruled from a new capital, Akkad, situated on the left bank of the Euphrates, between Sippar and Kish.

Sargon made such an impression on Mesopotamia that his figure became associated with many legends. The Sumerian literature known as "the Sargon legend" is believed to be a text describing Sargon's life. However, most of the text is missing. The surviving fragments name Sargon's father as La'ibum. After a lacuna, the text skips to Ur-Zababa, king of Kish, awake after a dream. For unknown reasons, Ur-Zababa then appoints Sargon as his cupbearer. Soon after this, king Ur-Zababa requested Sargon to his chambers to discuss a dream he felt Sargon had. Sargon's dream involved the favor of the goddess Inanna and the drowning of Ur-Zababa by the goddess. Deeply frightened, Ur-Zababa tries to get Sargon murdered by the hands of Belic-tikal, the chief smith, but Inanna prevents it, demanding that Sargon stop at the gates because of his being "polluted with blood." When Sargon returned to Ur-Zababa, the king became frightened again, and decided to send Sargon to king Lugal-zage-si of Uruk with a message on a clay tablet about murdering Sargon. (The legend appears to be lost at this point; presumably it describes how Sargon becomes king). From the Sumerian king list: "In Agade [Akkad], Sargon, whose father was a gardener, the cupbearer of Ur-Zababa, became king, the king of Agade, who built Agade; he ruled for 56 years." Confusingly, Ur-Zababa and Lugal-zage-si are both listed as kings, but several generations apart - perhaps Ur-Zababa is supposed to have lived on in the palace of Kish long after losing the kingship of Sumer.

source:

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