Final answer:
The Mesopotamian ruler with a story similar to Moses is Sargon of Akkad, who was placed in a basket on the Euphrates as a baby and later rose to conquer Mesopotamian cities, establishing the first-known empire around 2300 BCE.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Mesopotamian ruler who had a story about him similar to Moses in Exodus 2 is Sargon of Akkad. Just like the biblical Moses, Sargon was set adrift in a basket as a baby. His unwed mother placed him in a basket and cast it upon the Euphrates River, where he was later found and raised by a gardener.
Sargon eventually rose to establish the first-known empire in world history, around 2300 BCE. He transformed politics in Mesopotamia, setting an example of imperial expansion and administration that was emulated by rulers such as Hammurabi and the kings of the Third Dynasty of Ur.
The Akkadian Empire that Sargon established did not last far beyond his lineage, but his military and administrative innovations set a precedent for future Mesopotamian empires. The Legend of Sargon, written approximately two centuries after his death, preserves this remarkable narrative, cementing his legacy as a self-made ruler who conquered all major Mesopotamian cities to create the very first empire.