Why is the life of Sargon the Great shrouded in legend?

        Sargon the Great was the ruler of the Akkadians, who conquered the land between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers around 2300 BC. According to legend, Sargon’s mother was a princess, and his father a poor gardener. His mother abandoned him, and put him in a reed basket which she then set float on the river. However, he was rescued by a gardener named Akki, and he became a favourite of the Goddess Ishtar.

         With the goddess’s blessings, he came to the court of the king. In time, he built himself a new city at Akkad, and made himself its king. He gradually conquered all the land around him. In this way, he built the first empire that we know of the Akkadian Empire. His empire was great indeed, extending throughout Mesopotamia. He sent expeditions into Asia Minor and Southeast Arabia, with varying degrees of success. In the process, he spread not only the military wisdom of his army but also the cultural wisdom of Sumeria, the civilization that he conquered. Sargon ruled for 35 more years, until his death in 2305. But the fact is that he lived so long ago that most of what we know about him is based on legend.