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The semetic king, Sargon of Akkad then took over Sumer, starting the rule of the Akkadian Empire. The Akkadian period lasted from 2270 BCE until 2003 BCE. The Second Dynasty of Lagash rose to power after the Akkadian downfall. One of the kings from this period was Gudea of Lagash, who claimed to be divine, like most Sargonic kings. Gudea promoted artistic development. The Sumerian and Akkadian languages coexisted for about 1000 years until Sumerian dialects died out around 1800 BCE. Around 2000 BCE Gutians took over Sumer. They were barbarians who used hit and run tactics to cripple Sumer's economy. They would launch an attack on a village or farm, destroy something, and disappear before any soldiers could be gotten to fight them. The Gutians took over, but had no idea how to run a kingdom, so Sumer fell into a short dark age. Its canals fell into disrepair, and there was a lot of poverty. The period between 2047 BCE and 1940 BCE is known as the Sumerian Renaissance. The third dynasty of Ur returned native Sumerian rulers to the throne for about a century. But there was a rise in power of Akkadian speaking semites because of a large influx of Semetic Amorites, people from what is now Syria and Canaan, which stifled a lot of Sumerian culture. The downfall of Sumer was completed because Sumer became difficult to farm. Poorly drained irrigated soils and high evaporation rates resulted in a buildup of salt in the soils, or a high salinity level. A high evaporation rate also contributed to the problem. .
The Sumerians had very advanced technology for their time. They made medicine for all kinds of diseases out of plants, minerals, and other materials. They made ointments, pills, salves, poultices, and all kinds of other remedies. However, the doctors were reluctant to perform surgery. If they were to slip up and the patient lost something, an ear for example, then the doctor who had made the blunder would also lose an ear.
