The founder of the Akkadian empire in the late 24th century BC, the first successful ruler of Mesopotamia. Sargon founded a new capital at Agade, conquering all of southern Mesopotamia as well as parts of Syria, Anatolia, and Elam (western Iran). He established the region's first Semitic dynasty and was considered the founder of the Mesopotamian military tradition. Sargon is known almost entirely from the legends and tales in 2,000 years of cuneiform Mesopotamian history, not from any documents that were written during his lifetime.