Final answer:
Sargon of Akkad is notable for creating the first-known empire by unifying Akkad and Sumer, marking the beginning of a new era of empires in the Near East. The correct answer is option c.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sargon of Akkad (c. 2350 B.C.E.) is significant because he subdued a number of Sumerian cities, knitting together perhaps the first "empire." Around 2340 BCE, Sargon's conquests in Mesopotamia marked the end of the era of independent city-states and initiated an epoch marked by large-scale empires. He established the Akkadian Empire, uniting the regions of Akkad and Sumer into a single political entity.
This first known empire set a precedent in political and military organization, with Sargon creating the world’s first standing army. His feats provided a model of imperial administration for successive regional powers, exemplified by the Third Dynasty of Ur and later empires in the Near East.