why is the legend of sargon i onsidered a "rags to riches" story? (course hero)

Why did Sargon write the legend of Sargon of Akkad?

In creating this legend, Sargon carefully distanced himself from the kings of the past (who claimed divine right) and aligned himself with the common people of the region rather than the ruling elite. The Legend of Sargon is one of many works in the Mesopotamian literary genre known as naru literature.

Why did Sargon conquer Mesopotamia so quickly?

Sargon's relatively speedy conquest of the entire Mesopotamian plain is startling, given the inability of Sumerian kings to control any area much larger than two or three cities [but the Sumerians] were suffering from an increased gap between elite leadership and poor laborers.

Was Sargon of Akkad the illegitimate son of Inanna?

According to the cuneiform inscription known as The Legend of Sargon (his autobiography), he was born the illegitimate son of a "changeling", which could refer to a temple priestess of the goddess Inanna (whose clergy were androgynous) and never knew his father.

What is the story of Sargon?

Other naru literature, such as The Great Revolt and the Legend of Sargon, seeks to tell a tale of a great king's military victory or life. In Sargon's case, it would have been to his benefit, as an aspiring conqueror and empire builder, to claim for himself a humble birth and modest upbringing. At the time Sargon came to power in 2334 BCE, Sumer ...

What did Sargon boast about?

Sargon not only boasted about what he was able to accomplish as king, but told the people of his very humble beginnings, and how it was through the kindness of a stranger and the grace of a goddess that he was able to achieve his great triumphs.

What is the birth of Sargon of Akkad?

Birth of Sargon of Akkad. Jastrow (Public Domain) The Legend of Sargon is one of many works in the Mesopotamian literary genre known as naru literature. According to the scholar O.R. Gurney: Remove Ads. Advertisement.

What is Naru literature?

The so-called "naru literature" consists of a small group of apocryphal naru-inscriptions, composed probably in the early second millennium B.C., but in the name of famous kings of a bygone age. A well-known example is the Legend of Sargon of Akkad. In these works the form of the naru is retained, but the matter is legendary or even fictitious (93).

What was the significance of the image of Sargon being rescued from the river by a "drawer of water

The repetition of the image of Sargon being rescued from the river by a "drawer of water" would also have had symbolic resonance for an ancient Mesopotamian audience, in that water was considered a transformative agent. Remove Ads. Advertisement.

Who was the founder of the Akkadian Empire?

X. Sargon of Akkad (also known as Sargon of Agade and Sargon the Great, reigned 2334 to 2279 BCE), the founder of the Akkadian Empire, was a man keenly aware of his times and the people he would rule over. While he was clearly a brilliant military leader, it was the story he told of his youth and rise to power that exerted a powerful influence ...

Is Sargon's early life true?

There is no way of knowing whether any of what Sargon says about his early life in the inscription is true; that is precisely the point of it. Whoever Sargon was, and wherever he came from, is obscured by the legend - which is the only known work giving his biography.