Naram-Sin of Akkad (died 2218 BC) was King of the Akkadian Empire from 2254 BC to 2218 BC, succeeding Manishtushu and preceding Shar-Kali-Sharri.
Biography[]
Naram-Sin was the son of Manishtushu and the grandson of Sargon of Akkad, and he succeeded his father as King of the Akkadian Empire in 2254 BC. Unlike his father and uncle, Naram-Sin was a great and powerful ruler in his own right, bringing the empire to its territorial height. He brutally put down rebellions against his unpopular dynasty's rule before marching into Elam and consolidating Akkadian rule in the region, eliminating the native Awan dynasty and appointing an Akkadian governor. He next embarked on a naval expedition against Oman, seizing great war loot and the ability to trade with the region. Naram-Sin then thrust north and west, up the Euphrates, and he conquered Ebla, Mari, and Aramnam in present-day Syria, and he subdued nomadic steppe tribes on the imperial periphery. Naram-Sin later claimed divinity for himself, claiming that he was King of the Four Quarters, King of the Universe. However, the empire declined after his death in 2218 BC.