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Mesopotamia

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VALEN, Aira Geyle C. --- AC402 * Political System
A political system in which government is controlled by a king or queen is called a monarchy. In Sumer and Babylon, the king was often the monarch and the high priest. The position of these so-called priest-kings was relatively unstable. If the god(s) didn't provide for welfare of the citizens, the people often held the king responsible, and deposed him. Ancient Mesopotamia was a region that contained several city-states, much like Italy during the Italian Renaissance period. Mesopotamia at this time did not have a centralized government but, instead, had many smaller regions with their own separate governments. The early kings ruled over only their own city-states.
Lacking a centralized government and leader, the ancient region was prone to internal fighting among the kings for land and resources. The Mesopotamians believed their kings and queens were descended from the City of Gods, but, unlike the ancient Egyptians, they never believed their kings were real gods. Most kings named themselves “king of the universe” or “great king”. Another common name was “shepherd”, as kings had to look after their people.
Sumerians: Gilgamesh (c. 2650 BC) - Gilgamesh was the 5th king of the Sumerian city of Uruk. He became known as a demigod with superhuman strength in later legends and tales such as the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Akkadian Empire: Sargon the Great (reigned 2334 - 2279 BC) - or Sargon of Akkad, founded the world's 1st empire, the Akkadian Empire. He conquered many of the Sumerian city-states and united them under 1 rule.
Naram-Sin (reigned 2254 - 2218 BC) - The Akkadian Empire reached its peak under his kingship. He was the first Mesopotamian ruler to claim to be a god. He was also the grandson of Sargon.
Babylonian Empire: Hammurabi (reigned 1792 - 1752 BC) – The 6th king of Babylon and founded the

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