<P> The Akkadian Empire (/ əˈkeɪdiən /) was the first ancient Semitic - speaking empire of Mesopotamia, centered in the city of Akkad / ˈækæd / and its surrounding region, also called Akkad in ancient Mesopotamia in the Bible . The empire united Akkadian and Sumerian speakers under one rule . The Akkadian Empire exercised influence across Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Anatolia, sending military expeditions as far south as Dilmun and Magan (modern Bahrain and Oman) in the Arabian Peninsula . </P> <P> During the 3rd millennium BC, there developed a very intimate cultural symbiosis between the Sumerians and the Akkadians, which included widespread bilingualism . Akkadian gradually replaced Sumerian as a spoken language somewhere between the 3rd and the 2nd millennia BC (the exact dating being a matter of debate). </P> <P> The Akkadian Empire reached its political peak between the 24th and 22nd centuries BC, following the conquests by its founder Sargon of Akkad . Under Sargon and his successors, the Akkadian language was briefly imposed on neighboring conquered states such as Elam and Gutium . Akkad is sometimes regarded as the first empire in history, though the meaning of this term is not precise, and there are earlier Sumerian claimants . </P> <P> After the fall of the Akkadian Empire, the people of Mesopotamia eventually coalesced into two major Akkadian - speaking nations: Assyria in the north, and, a few centuries later, Babylonia in the south . </P>

Who built the world's first empire and what land did that empire include