Krieger und Waffen im frühen Mesopotamien. Organisation und Bewaffnung des Militärs in frühdynastischer und sargonischer Zeit

The Early Dynastic or Presargonic Period was characterized by military confrontations between rivalling city- or petty states. The rise of Sargon of Akkade, conventionally dated to 2334 BC, brought an end to this period. Sargon and his successors campaigned in remote territory extending from the mediterranean in the west over Anatolia and Iran to the Gulf in the south. For a span longer than a century, Akkade was the most powerful state and dominated the history of early Mesopotamia. While some scholars are convinced that the rise of Akkade was the natural consequence of the historical and political development, others assume that the military success of the Akkade dynasty was largely based on a superior military equipment, i.e. the composite bow, the Sumerian city-states could not compete with, or the introduction of the first professional army. While actual finds of weapons and iconographic sources pertaining to warfare have been extensively been dealt with, an analysis of the contemporary cuneiform documentation was lacking. The analysis of cuneiform documents, mainly administrative texts from Early Dynastic temple archives and Sargonic administrative centres in Southern Babylonia, provided by the present study demonstrates that both Early Dynastic and Sargonic armies mainly consisted of conscripts fielded by the large temple households that were equipped for close combat. They were supported by archers and slingers. Certainly these weapons certainly became more important during the Sargonic period, but their were also common in Early Dynastic warfare. Since the Early Dynastic sources are considerably older than the Sargonic texts that mainly date from the time of Sargon’s successors, a comparison may not be appropriate. Though there are many indications that the Sargonic kings fielded a professional army, its existence cannot be ascertained yet. Since the capital Akkade has not been located yet, the highest level of administration remains unknown.