Sargon is the world's first empire-builder, sending…
2349 BCE to 2206 BCE
Sargon is the world's first empire-builder, sending his troops as far as Egypt and Ethiopia.
He attempts to establish a unified empire and to end the hostilities among the city-states.
Sargon's rule introduces a new level of political organization that is characterized by an even more clear-cut separation between religious authority and secular authority.
To ensure his supremacy, Sargon creates the first conscripted army, a development related to the need to mobilize large numbers of laborers for irrigation and flood-control works.
Akkadian strength is boosted by the invention of the composite bow, a new weapon made of strips of wood and horn.