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AKKADIAN EMPIRE IN SYRIA

Geography

The territory of the modern Syria was the second largest (after Mesopotamia) land where Akkadian empire stretched to. It encompassed the valley of each of the region's major rivers: Orontes, Euphrates, and Khabur. The northern border was at the point were Khabur river is joined by its tributaries. From there border gradually lowered south-west laying approximately just to the north of modern al-Assad lake and going towards the Orontes river which thus served as its western border. Going southward from the Orontes river the border ran along the border with Lebanon (just the north of the Damascus region which was not included). From there the border sharply went north-east towards the Euphrates and then along its west-bank to the Syrian border with Mesopotamia.

People

This territory included the most fertile regions in Syria. Therefore it is no surprise that all the earliest towns were located inside or in the immediate vicinity. The population west and south of Euphrates were Amorites. The region to the north-east of Euphrates was sparsely populated by the Hurrians tribes who mostly concentrated in the Upper Khabur valley and eastern Anatolia.

Neighbors and Trade

The imperial neighbors to the north were Hattians in the north-west and Hurrites in the north. Hurrian cities of the north - Harran, Urkesh, Naqar were located on the trade route that connected Hattians with the northern Mesopotamia and thus enabled proto-Assyrian merchants to trade in Anatolia. The major trade routes within empire was along the rivers. Also at this time the Khabur valley trade route was developed, by which the goods from Anatolia could also reach Mesopotamia by way of Mari. Mari was also the end point of another, ancient trade route that originated when cedar brought from Lebanon, went overland to Ebla, then at Emar turned east and by Euphrates river reached Mari. The access to the Euphrates was long contended for by Ebla and its northern neighbor Aleppo. It is possible that loss of riches of this trade precipitated the revolt in which both rival towns were destroyed (in Naram-Sin's time).

As said above, Akkadian empire likely did not reach Mediterranean coast directly stopping at Orontes river. At the very least it did not have developed navy since both major trading centers in the region - Alalakh (in Turkey) and Ugarit were founded centuries later. Therefore reference to Cyprus (Kaptara) must have been mainly inbound.

To the south of the imperial lands laid inhospitable and depopulated Syrian desert.