Naram-Sin of Akkad

Naram-Sin was a king of Akkad in the late third millennium BC, the grandson of Sargon, who founded the Akkadian dynasty. His reign is dated to roughly 2254 to 2218 BC. He is remembered for a break with Mesopotamian tradition: where earlier rulers presented themselves as the earthly representatives of the gods, he asserted that he was himself a god. He also reshaped how the empire was governed, replacing most city governors with native Akkadians of proven loyalty and stationing troops in conquered cities under special officers who reported directly to the king, a double administrative structure that gave the crown a check on its subordinates. The Encyclopedia.com entry on the Empire of Akkad treats his reign as the point at which Sargon's policy toward the temples was overturned.