Sargon of Akkadia was the exception of Sumer. Reigning over Sumer from about 2334-2279 BC, he was not actually of Sumerian origin. Rather, he was of Semitic background, as the Akkadians originally hailed from the Arabian Peninsula before settling down in Mesopotamia. Aside from establishing Sumer's first and only Semitic dynasty, Sargon is credited with being the founder of the Mesopotamian military tradition, establishing history's first empire, the Akkadian Empire.