Page "Akkadian Empire" Paragraph 26

During the Akkadian period, the Akkadian language became the lingua franca of the Middle East, and was officially used for administration, although the Sumerian language remained as a spoken and literary language.

The spread of Akkadian stretched from Syria to Elam, and even the Elamite language was temporarily written in Mesopotamian cuneiform.

Akkadian texts later found their way to far-off places, from Egypt ( in the Amarna Period ) and Anatolia, to Persia ( Behistun ).