Akkadians

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Background
 The Akkadians are often credited with having founded the first empire in known human history (being founded in the 24th century BC and collapsing in the 22nd century BC), having united both Akkadian and Sumerian speakers under one rule. Its territories reached to the Levant and Anatolia in the west, to the Mesopotamian region in the east. The empire prospered with trade from silver mines in Anatolia and lapis lazuli mines in modern Afghanistan, as well as cedars in Lebanon. The joining of the Sumerian and Akkadian peoples led to cultural exchange between the two cultures, as well as widespread bilingualism. Although Akkadian, being the language of the ruling class, gradually replaced Sumerian, the latter remained prominent as a sacred and literary language, in a manner almost similar to Latin millennia later. Although the empire collapsed within just 180 years of its founding, falling to the pressure of its Assyrian and Babylonian neighbours, the Akkadians gained their place in history with the first empire, and the first Imperial title to go with it: "King of the four quarters".