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[[File: Amarna_letter.jpg|300px250px|thumbnail|left|A Cuneiform Tablet in the Akkadian Language Discovered in Amarna, Egypt]]Sargon of Akkad’s greatest influence on ancient Mesopotamia was his introduction of the Akkadian language. Before Sargon came to power, the primary language spoken and written in Mesopotamia was Sumerian, a language isolate, meaning that it was a language not related to any other. Sumerian was written in the cuneiform script, comprised of wedge-shaped characters that were usually written on clay tablets and used for nearly 1,000 years before Sargon’s arrival. After Sargon took power, he and his followers kept using the cuneiform script, but with their native Akkadian language.  The Akkadian language was the first Semitic language to be written. Although it was Sargon and his dynasty's primary language, the Akkadians continued to use Sumerian in many administrative, legal, and literary texts. <ref> Kuhrt, p. 46</ref> The Akkadian royal inscriptions, though, which is how modern historians know so much about Mesopotamian chronology, were always written in Akkadian but sometimes accompanied with Sumerian translations. <ref> Mieroop, Marc van de. <i>A History of the Ancient Near East: ca. 3000-323 BC.</i> 2nd ed. (London: Blackwell, 2007), pgs. 65-66</ref> It would not be until after Sargon and his Akkadian Dynasty were gone that his linguistic influence was felt across the region.

Akkadian was the primary written language used in Mesopotamia long after Sargon’s death. Still, it also became the <i>lingua franca</i> of the greater Near East during the Late Bronze Age. By about 1500 BC, the most powerful kingdoms of the Near East – Egypt, Kassite Babylon, Mitanni, Assyria, and Hatti – all developed extensive trade networks and diplomatic ties. All of the major kingdoms and the minor kingdoms that served as buffer states wrote to each other in Akkadian to communicate. A cache of over 300 Akkadian diplomatic tablets was discovered in the Egyptian city of Tell el-Amarna (ancient Akhenaten) in 1887.  The letters reveal the details of this early global system that used Akkadian as the primary language. <ref> Moran, William L. <i>The Amarna Letters.</i> (Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1992), p. xiii</ref> Along with the Akkadian diplomatic letters discovered in Egypt, scores of Akkadian literature tablets have been discovered outside of Mesopotamia, including the Hittite capital of Hattusa, the Levant cities of Ugarit and Megiddo, and Amarna. Akkadian's use eventually became so widespread that all of the original Mesopotamian myths were translated from Sumerian into Akkadian. <ref> Meiroop, p. 116</ref>

“Sargon, king of Kish, was victorious in 34 campaigns and dismantled (all) the cities, as far as the shore of the sea. At the wharf of Agade, he made moor ships from Meluhha, ships from Magan, (and) ships from Tilmun. Sargon, the king, prostrated (himself) in prayer before the god God Dagan in Tutul (and) he gave (him) the Upper Region (i.e.) Mari, Iarmuti (and) Ibla as far as the Cedar Forest and the Silver Mountain. Enlil did not let anybody oppose Sargon, the king. 5,400 soldiers ate daily in his palace (lit.: presence).” <ref> Pritchard, p. 268</ref>

In the wake of his bold conquests, Sargon initiated new government reforms. He allowed the kings of the numerous city-states to stay in power nominally, but as governors who were expected to pay the Akkadians taxes, as well as a workforce in times of war. Regarding the bureaucracy, Sargon mandated that all accounting methods and weights , and measures be standardized, which helped to better integrate the economies of the many city-states into one imperial system. <ref> Mieroop, pgs. 64-65</ref>