Did the Akkadian Empire Exist Before or After Sumerian City‑States?

💡 The Answer

• The Akkadian Empire came after the long‑lived city‑states of Sumer.
• It succeeded them by conquering and unifying those city‑states.
• Sumerian city‑states flourished during the Early Dynastic Period before Akkad.
• The empire's rise marked the end of independent Sumerian rule.