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2320 BCE

This year falls in the Early Bronze Age (c. 3200–2000 BCE). Writing appears in Mesopotamia and Egypt around 3200 BCE, and the written record begins. The first cities, kings and states grow up along the Tigris, the Euphrates, the Nile and the Indus.

Within fifteen years

Civilization · Early Bronze Age · Akkadian EmpireAkkadian Empirec. 2334–2154 BCEThe Akkadian Empire was the first empire in recorded history. Sargon of Akkad conquered the Sumerian city states and ruled from the Euphrates to the Mediterranean. It lasted about 180 years before collapsing.

Ruler · Early Bronze Age · IraqSargon of Akkadr. c. 2334–c. 2279 BCFounder of the Akkadian Empire, the first empire known in Mesopotamia, ruling from the city of Akkad around 2334 to 2279 BC. He conquered the Sumerian city states of the south and extended his power up the Tigris and Euphrates and west to the Mediterranean. His dynasty held Mesopotamia for about a century and a half after him.