Where did Sargon the Great come from-this abandoned baby rescued from the river?

How did he grow up to daringly and dramatically conquer all of Mesopotamia and beyond?

What propelled his stunning ascent to rule the world's first empire, which stretched from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea?

What can we learn about the fascinating origins and culture of the Akkadians and their unprecedented rise?

What curse preceded the empire's cataclysmic fall?

This extensively researched, authoritative history of the Akkadian Empire will unlock the little-known and awe-inspiring stories of the people who boldly changed the world. This easy-to-read, comprehensive, and engaging presentation with striking illustrations brings the Akkadian civilization to life.

Some of the fascinating questions you will explore include:

• What prehistoric people lived in Mesopotamia at the dawn of time?
• How did the world's first cities vie for power?
• What precipitated Sargon's rise from gardener to cupbearer to king?
• Why was Mesopotamia's "Golden Age" golden?
• What horrific drought impelled the empire's collapse?
• Why was the Akkadian military machine indomitable?
• How did the Akkadian's life-like sculptures rival classical Greece 1,600 years later?
• Why was the first empire so short?
• What gods did the Akkadians worship, and how did their religion impact their lives?
• And much, much more!