In this opening episode of Thrones of Power: Empires That Changed the World, we explore the rise of the Akkadian Empire, the world’s first true empire, founded over 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia by the legendary Sargon of Akkad.

From his mysterious and humble beginnings, Sargon launched unprecedented military campaigns that united the warring Sumerian city-states under a centralized rule. The empire stretched from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean, and Sargon established innovative systems of administration, governance, and imperial propaganda—tools that would shape all future empires.

We dive into the role of his daughter Enheduanna, the world’s first known author; the divine kingship of his grandson Naram-Sin; and the eventual collapse of the empire due to climate change, invasions, and internal strife.

Though it lasted less than two centuries, the Akkadian Empire left an enduring blueprint for how empires are built, ruled, and remembered.