King Sargon’s Decree

About King Sargon:

King Sargon of Akkad was one of the first rulers in the world to make use of bureaucracy and administration across his large empire.[1] His decision to replace the language isolate Sumerian cuneiform with the more established Akkadian language is regarded as one of his most significant achievements to date.[2] It was an important change that allowed King Sargon to develop Mesopotamia into a commerce nation in the way that his subjects could now communicate with each other, instantly multiplying their opportunities for trade.[3] For generations afterwards, Akkadian would be the main language used throughout countless elite ancient civilizations.[4]

Using information gathered from credible sources, I created a decree that King Sargon might have ordered the citizens of a territory he had recently conquered.

King Sargon’s Decree to the Newly Conquered People of Sumeria:

People of Sumeria, I, Sargon, the King of Kish, have been appointed by our God Enlil to carry out the divine orders given to me.[5] Let the innumerable and successful military campaigns I have led to conquer territories, be a reminder to us all that the favour of our Gods has indeed been bestowed upon me.[6] As your ruler, I wish to inform you of the new laws I have decided to mandate in order to continue my successful reign over the region of Mesopotamia.

Regarding politics, I allow the King of Sumeria to hold nominal power over his people on the conditions that he will collect taxes for me and act as manpower in times of war when I call upon him.[7] The authority to enact laws and mandate changes is now with me, and I shall appoint administrators and officials from among my most trusted men to see to it that everything goes according to my word when I am away.[8]

Although a social hierarchy clearly exists, with the King of Kish above everyone and the slaves of war making up the lowest class, Sumeria under my rule will not be a caste based civilization and I shall not mandate laws that will hinder anyone’s progress to an upper class.[9] Today, I grant every citizen of this city, male or female, the right to work his or her way up the social ranks while maintaining honesty and integrity.[10] Under my rule, women shall also retain their rights to work for pay, run their own businesses, and buy and sell property.[11] However, all of my Sumerian subjects are ineligible to hold esteemed positions in my government, lest you revolt against me.[12]

My priority is to transform Sumeria into a commerce nation like the rest of my territories, but Sumerian is a language isolate that is unique to this region.[13] As such, it effectively acts as an obstacle that hinders trade.[14] To solve this issue and better integrate Sumeria into my empire, I declare Akkadian as your new official language.[15] It will undoubtedly open up more opportunities for trade and help spread our cultural influence.In replacing the official language, I have no objections in the traditional Sumerian cuneiform script being used to write any sort of document, provided that it is also made available in Akkadian.[16]

I also wish to inform you of the advancements I am mandating to the existing religion. Firstly, I will not destroy your religion or force mine upon you rather I will work towards preserving the rites of our forefathers.[17] I am a righteous king who has a high regard for the Gods and believes that the success of his empire depends on their pleasure.[18] As I have been appointed by Enlil to lead you to goodness, I will continue to please the gods and prove the capacity of my leadership through conquering more lands.[19]

I hereby declare my daughter, Princess Enheduanna, as the high priestess of the city of Ur in Sumeria and as the bride of the moon god Nanna.[20]  She will reside in Ur and take part in important rituals in order to work towards establishing harmony between the Sumerian and Akkadian religions, as our beliefs should serve as a way to unite us all.[21] I believe that she will be successful in achieving unity between the people of Sumeria and the people of Akkad by sharing her divine wisdom through the creation of more religious scriptures.[22]

Finally, here are my laws regarding family life. Marriage is a contract between the bride’s family and her groom’s family.[23] Men shall be allowed divorce their wives on the grounds of infertility, infidelity, carelessness with money, or belittling him.[24] Women shall be allowed to divorce their husbands on the grounds of abuse or adultery.[25] Either way, a man or a woman must prove that his or her partner has committed adultery in order to validate the divorce.[26] Men found guilty of adultery shall be charged a penalty, and women found guilty of adultery shall be sentenced to death.[27] However, if her husband forgives her crime, she will be spared.[28] Upon divorce, the dowries paid at the time of marriage must be fully compensated and returned to each family.[29]

As for dowries, if a man marries a woman and she bears him sons, upon her death, the dowry gifted by her father is for her sons, and her father has no claim upon it.[30] If however, she bears him no sons, upon her death the husband is obliged to pay back the dowry gifted by her father and be returned the “bride price” he paid her family.[31]

With regards to the inheritance of paternal estate, if a man gives one of his sons of his property and its deed, upon his death, let the sons first give this gift to their brother besides his portion of their father’s estate.[32] If a man has left an unmarried son, upon his death, let his children allot money for the “bride price” for their unmarried brother besides his portion of the estate.[33] Finally, if a man marries a woman who bears him sons and after her death marries another woman who also bears him children, upon his death, let his children give their mothers their dowries and divide his estate equally amongst themselves.[34]  

Oh people of Sumeria, today I have explained to you my decree through which I wish to make life easy for everyone under my rule. As my subjects I wish not to oppress you through my laws; only to convey to you the words of wisdom which I know will facilitate the demanding work of maintaining order and stability in this empire. Let it be known that your king is a just leader who believes the law is above all else and will not tolerate those who disobey it for indeed, they have no intention except to spread corruption within this land.

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[1] Mark, Joshua J. “Sargon of Akkad,” Ancient History Encyclopedia, last modified September 02, 2009, https://www.ancient.eu/Sargon_of_Akkad/.

[2] Mark, Joshua J. “Sargon of Akkad,” Ancient History Encyclopedia, last modified September 02, 2009, https://www.ancient.eu/Sargon_of_Akkad/.

[3] Mark, Joshua J. “Sargon of Akkad,” Ancient History Encyclopedia, last modified September 02, 2009, https://www.ancient.eu/Sargon_of_Akkad/.

[4] Mark, Joshua J. “Sargon of Akkad,” Ancient History Encyclopedia, last modified September 02, 2009, https://www.ancient.eu/Sargon_of_Akkad/.

[5] Mark, Joshua J. “Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia,” Ancient History Encyclopedia, last modified April 15, 2014, https://www.ancient.eu/article/680/.

[6]Mark, Joshua J. “Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia,” Ancient History Encyclopedia, last modified April 15, 2014, https://www.ancient.eu/article/680/.

[7] “How Did Sargon of Akkad Influence Ancient Mesopotamian History,” Daily History.Org, last modified January 22, 2019, https://dailyhistory.org/How_Did_Sargon_of_Akkad_Influence_Ancient_Mesopotamian_History%3F.

[8] “How Did Sargon of Akkad Influence Ancient Mesopotamian History,” Daily History.Org, last modified January 22, 2019, https://dailyhistory.org/How_Did_Sargon_of_Akkad_Influence_Ancient_Mesopotamian_History%3F.

[9] “Mesopotamia: Overview and Summary,” History on the Net, Salem Media, last modified February 26, 2020, https://www.historyonthenet.com/mesopotamia.

[10] “Mesopotamia: Overview and Summary,” History on the Net, Salem Media, last modified February 26, 2020, https://www.historyonthenet.com/mesopotamia.

[11] “Mesopotamia: Overview and Summary,” History on the Net, Salem Media, last modified February 26, 2020, https://www.historyonthenet.com/mesopotamia.

[12] “Mesopotamia: Overview and Summary,” History on the Net, Salem Media, last modified February 26, 2020, https://www.historyonthenet.com/mesopotamia.

[13] Elizabeth Lundin, “What Life Was Like: Ancient Mesopotamia,” History Things, last modified January 21, 2017, https://historythings.com/life-in-mesopotamia/.

[14] Elizabeth Lundin, “What Life Was Like: Ancient Mesopotamia,” History Things, last modified January 21, 2017, https://historythings.com/life-in-mesopotamia/.

[15] Elizabeth Lundin, “What Life Was Like: Ancient Mesopotamia,” History Things, last modified January 21, 2017, https://historythings.com/life-in-mesopotamia/.

[16] Elizabeth Lundin, “What Life Was Like: Ancient Mesopotamia,” History Things, last modified January 21, 2017, https://historythings.com/life-in-mesopotamia/.

[17] Mark, Joshua J. “Enheduanna,” Ancient History Encyclopedia, last modified March 24, 2014, https://www.ancient.eu/Enheduanna/.

[18] Mark, Joshua J. “Enheduanna,” Ancient History Encyclopedia, last modified March 24, 2014, https://www.ancient.eu/Enheduanna/.

[19] Mark, Joshua J. “Enheduanna,” Ancient History Encyclopedia, last modified March 24, 2014, https://www.ancient.eu/Enheduanna/.

[20] Mark, Joshua J. “Enheduanna,” Ancient History Encyclopedia, last modified March 24, 2014, https://www.ancient.eu/Enheduanna/.

[21] Mark, Joshua J. “Enheduanna,” Ancient History Encyclopedia, last modified March 24, 2014, https://www.ancient.eu/Enheduanna/.

[22] Mark, Joshua J. “Enheduanna,” Ancient History Encyclopedia, last modified March 24, 2014, https://www.ancient.eu/Enheduanna/.

[23] “Families and Family Law in Mesopotamia,” Facts and Details, last modified September, 2018, http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub363/entry-6066.html#chapter-1.

[24] “Families and Family Law in Mesopotamia,” Facts and Details, last modified September, 2018, http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub363/entry-6066.html#chapter-1.

[25] “Families and Family Law in Mesopotamia,” Facts and Details, last modified September, 2018, http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub363/entry-6066.html#chapter-1.

[26] “Families and Family Law in Mesopotamia,” Facts and Details, last modified September, 2018, http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub363/entry-6066.html#chapter-1.

[27] “Families and Family Law in Mesopotamia,” Facts and Details, last modified September, 2018, http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub363/entry-6066.html#chapter-1.

[28] “Families and Family Law in Mesopotamia,” Facts and Details, last modified September, 2018, http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub363/entry-6066.html#chapter-1.

[29] “Families and Family Law in Mesopotamia,” Facts and Details, last modified September, 2018, http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub363/entry-6066.html#chapter-1.

[30] “Families and Family Law in Mesopotamia,” Facts and Details, last modified September, 2018, http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub363/entry-6066.html#chapter-1.

[31] “Families and Family Law in Mesopotamia,” Facts and Details, last modified September, 2018, http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub363/entry-6066.html#chapter-1.

[32] “Families and Family Law in Mesopotamia,” Facts and Details, last modified September, 2018, http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub363/entry-6066.html#chapter-1.

[33] “Families and Family Law in Mesopotamia,” Facts and Details, last modified September, 2018, http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub363/entry-6066.html#chapter-1.

[34] “Families and Family Law in Mesopotamia,” Facts and Details, last modified September, 2018, http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub363/entry-6066.html#chapter-1.

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3. Joshua J, Mark. “Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified April 15, 2014. https://www.ancient.eu/article/680/.

4. Joshua J, Mark. “Enheduanna.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified March 24, 2014. https://www.ancient.eu/Enheduanna/.

5. Joshua J, Mark. “Sargon of Akkad.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified September 02, 2009. https://www.ancient.eu/Sargon_of_Akkad/.

6. Lundin, Elizabeth.“What Life Was Like: Ancient Mesopotamia.” History Things. Last modified January 21, 2017. https://historythings.com/life-in-mesopotamia/.

7. “Mesopotamia: Overview and Summary.” History on the Net, Salem Media. Last modified February 26, 2020. https://www.historyonthenet.com/mesopotamia.