Sargon, the future ruler of all of Mesopotamia, grew from humble beginnings. The early years of Sargon's life are speculation. One legend says Sargon was the son of a high priestess. Upon his birth she placed Sargon in a reed basket and set him adrift in a river where he was found by a fruit grower. Sargon eventually rose to become the cup bearer to the king of Kish, Ur-Zababa.
Around 2340 B.C. Sargon usurped Ur-Zababa and began his rule from Akkadê. Sargon began his conquest of Mesopotamia by defeating an attack upon Akkadê by Lugal-zage-si, king of Uruk. Lugal-zage-si was taken captive and his army destroyed. The armies of Sargon then marched across the land defeating the Sumerian cities of Ur, Lagash, and Nippur. Sargon could now call himself the ruler of a combined Sumer and Akkad. Sargon would consolidate his power by conquering northern Mesopotamia and venturing into Anatolia and to the Mediterranean.
The fate of Sargon is not known. His reign ended about 2315 when his son, Rimush, came to the throne.