First look at the Akkadian Civilization

This is a very rough idea of the Akkadian empire. I have only just received the topic and I wanted to give a brief overview before I go more in depth. When I first saw the word "Akkadian" I immediately though of the Scorpion King. Pretty sure he was an Akkadian. Sad that my knowledge comes from a movie...

Is this what they all looked like?

Because this is just skimming the surface, I'm just going to bullet note this. Any additions to my list are welcome!

• Sargon built the empire.
• Sargon became ruler because :"My mother was a changeling [prostitute], my father I knew not. The brothers of my father loved the hills. My city is Azurpiranu (the wilderness herb fields), which is situated on the banks of the Euphrates. My changeling mother conceived me, in secret she bore me. She set me in a basket of rushes, with bitumen she sealed my lid. She cast me into the river which rose not over me. The river bore me up and carried me to Akki, the drawer of water. Akki, the drawer of water, took me as his son and reared me. Akki the drawer of water, appointed me as his gardener. While I was gardener Ishtar granted me her love, and for four and fifty ... years I exercised kingship." (This is from  Roux, Georges (1982) "Ancient Iraq" (Penguin, Harmondsworth) and I'll have to find the book somewhere)
• They worshiped the Goddess Ishtar
• There were a lot of wars. Sargon conquered many lands and he was able to hold on to the for his 56 year reign.
• During the Akkadian period, the Akkadian language became the lingua franca of the Middle East, and was officially used for administration, although the Sumerian language remained as a spoken and literary language. The spread of Akkadian stretched from Syria to Elam, and even the Elamite language was temporarily written in Mesopotamian cuneiform. Akkadian texts later found their way to far-off places, from Egypt (in the Amarna Period) and Anatolia, to Persia 

Map of the empire

This isn't much, but you can be sure that I will be hitting the books. Hard.