Mesopotamia

4.2. Economy, Religion and Social life

Sargon built the greatest empire of his time and with overthrowing Lugalzagesi and seizing power he gained an already united kingdom. This was an advantage for his military campaigns to control  Mesopotamia. His legend established his humble backgrounds which made him a hero in the eyes of laymen. As in later ages and other cultures, up to the present day, class distinctions in the Sumerian cities had led to a growing resentment by the lower class for the upper elite. The wealthiest citizens were able to take as much land as they could hold and the lower classes routinely felt disenfranchised. Sargon's tale of his humble beginnings as a gardener would have appealed to the large numbers of working-class Sumerians who may have seen him as a liberator and reformer. Directly after his rise to power, however, the city-states and their ruling elite hardly accepted Sargon with grace and submission; they rebelled against their new ruler and forced him to prove his legitimacy as king through military might.

Because of the large geographic scope that the Akkadian Empire deployed on, they enjoyed prosperity and wealth. in addition, Sargon was in control of the silk road and manipulated the maritime trade in the area. He had built a large fleet both military and commercial