Bible Dictionaries
Akkad (Accad), Akkadians

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Search for…

Enter query below:

or

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Prev Entry
Akeldama

Next Entry
Akkos

Resource Toolbox

Print Article

AKKAD (ACCAD), AKKADIANS . Akkad(u) Is the Semitic equivalent of the Sumerian Agadê , the capital of the founder of the first Semitic empire. It was probably in consequence of this that it gave its name to Northern Babylonia, the Semitic language of which came to be known as Akkadu or ‘Akkadian.’ In the early days of cuneiform decipherment ‘Akkadian’ was the name usually applied to the non-Semitic language of primitive Babylonia, but some cuneiform texts published by Bezold in 1889 ( ZA p. 434) showed that this was called by the Babylonians themselves ‘the language of Sumer’ or Southern Babylonia, while a text recently published by Messerschmidt ( Orient . Ltztg . 1905, p. 268) states that Akkadu was the name of the Semitic ‘translation.’ When Babylonia became a united monarchy, its rulers took the title of ‘kings of Sumer and Akkad’ in Semitic, ‘Kengi and Uri’ in Sumerian, where Uri seems to have signified ‘the upper region.’ In Genesis 10:10 Accad is the city, not the country to which it gave its name.

A. H. Sayce.