Mesopotamia's Government and Leaders
Mesopotamia has made its name in having famous and controvercial rulers throughout the length of their empire's rule There are a few really interesting ones that are detailed here
HammurabiHammurabi is arguably one of the most important leaders in all of Mesopotamia's history. He created Hammurabi's code, an "eye for an eye" code which punished those who committed crimes terribly. He ruled for 43 years before dying, and he brought in a new golden age for Mesopotamia in doing so. He is featured in the south wall of the US Supreme Court Building as one of the great lawgivers. His law went into how to treat your wives, your parents, how to legally sign documents, and more. There are about 170-80 laws that are written down. If you were to hit your father, your fingers would be chopped off. Overall, it was a brutal, but good reinvention of government, because it allowed the Mesopotamians to focus on something other than crime.
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Nebuchadnezzar IINebuchadnezzar II, which in Akkadian means "O god Nabu, preserve/defend my firstborn son", was the king of Akkadia, and is well known for conquering Jerusalem. He is depicted in the Bible as losing his sanity, after a bout of boasting his acheivements. He lives like this for several years, and afterwards he starts to worship God. He is also talked about in the religion of Islam. One of the most interesting things about him is the amount of religious text that features him in it.
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Sargon the GreatSargon The Great is another leader of the Akkadian Empire. He lead the conquest of Sumeria. His birth and death dates are unknown. During his rule, Akkadian was standardized to work with Cuneform script. His dynasty ruled for about 150 years. During that time, he was a very skilled fighter. One witness after his battle stated that he had fought so hard, that "there was nowhere left for any birds to perch." He gained fear in his enemies due to his strategy and tactic of total war- a tactic in which everything is destroyed and nothing is left behind. The bust below is of one of his grandson, as it is the closest thing that historians can find of Sargon.
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