The Akkadians

Mesopotamia eventually coalesced into two distinct empires: Assyria in the north and Babylonia in the south.

Sargon of Akkad conquered most of the Sumerian city-states, ending Sumer with the rise of the Akkadian Empire.

In 2340 BC Sargon of Akkad conquered most of the Sumerian city-states, thus ending Sumer with the rise of the Akkadian Empire, sometimes regarded as the first empire in history. The Akkadians were a Semitic-speaking group who united the Semites and Sumerian speakers under one rule. The Akkadian empire was short-lived and in 2125 BC the empire fell. Mesopotamia eventually coalesced into two distinct empires: Assyria in the north and Babylonia in the south.