SUMERIAN
KING LIST
![](Weld-Blundell_Prism_with_transcription_by_Stephen_Herbert_Langdon_(1876-1937).jpg)
Translator
: Jean-Vincent Scheil, Stephen Langdon and Thorkild Jacobsen
Country : Sumer (ancient Iraq)
Language : Sumerian
Subject : Regnal list
Genre : Literary
Set in : Late-third to early-second millennia BC
Publication date : Ur III to Old Babylonian periods
Published in : English AD 1911–2014
Media type : Clay tablets
Text : Sumerian King List at the Electronic Text Corpus
of Sumerian Literature
The
Sumerian King List (abbreviated SKL) or Chronicle of the One Monarchy
is an ancient literary composition written in Sumerian that was
likely created and redacted to legitimize the claims to power of
various city-states and kingdoms in southern Mesopotamia during
the late third and early second millennium BC. It does so by repetitively
listing Sumerian cities, the kings that ruled there, and the lengths
of their reigns. Especially in the early part of the list, these
reigns often span thousands of years. In the oldest known version,
dated to the Ur III period (c. 2112–2004 BC) but probably
based on Akkadian source material, the SKL reflected a more linear
transition of power from Kish, the first city to receive kingship,
to Akkad. In later versions from the Old Babylonian period, the
list consisted of a large number of cities between which kingship
was transferred, reflecting a more cyclical view of how kingship
came to a city, only to be inevitably replaced by the next. In its
best-known and best-preserved version, as recorded on the Weld-Blundell
Prism, the SKL begins with a number of fictional antediluvian kings,
who ruled before a flood swept over the land, after which kingship
went to Kish. It ends with a dynasty from Isin (early second millennium
BC), which is well-known from other contemporary sources.
The
SKL is preserved in several versions. Most of these date to the
Old Babylonian period, but the oldest version dates to the Ur III
period. The clay tablets on which the SKL was recorded were generally
found on sites in southern Mesopotamia. These versions differ in
their exact content; some sections are missing, others are arranged
in a different order, names of kings may be absent or the lengths
of their reigns may vary. These differences are both the result
of copying errors, and of deliberate editorial decisions to change
the text to fit current needs.
In
the past, the Sumerian King List was considered as an invaluable
source for the reconstruction of the political history of Early
Dynastic Mesopotamia. More recent research has indicated that the
use of the SKL is fraught with difficulties, and that it should
only be used with caution, if at all, in the study of ancient Mesopotamia
during the third and early second millennium BC.
Naming
conventions :
The text is best known under its modern name Sumerian King List,
which is often abbreviated to SKL in scholarly literature. A less-used
name is the Chronicle of the One Monarchy, reflecting the notion
that, according to this text, there could ever be only one city
exercising kingship over Mesopotamia. In contemporary sources, the
SKL was called after its first word: "nam-lugal", or "kingship".
It should also be noted that what is commonly referred to as the
Sumerian King List, is in reality not a single text. Rather, it
is a literary composition of which different versions existed through
time in which sections were missing, arranged in a different order,
and names, reigns and details on kings were different or absent.
Modern
scholarship has used numbered dynasties to refer to the uninterrupted
rule of a single city; hence the Ur III dynasty denotes the third
time that the city of Ur assumed hegemony over Mesopotamia according
to the SKL. This numbering (e.g. Kish I, Uruk IV, Ur III) is not
present in the original text. It should also be noted that the modern
usage of the term dynasty, i.e. a sequence of rulers from a single
family, does not necessarily apply to ancient Mesopotamia. Even
though the SKL points out that some rulers were family, it was the
city, rather than individual rulers, to which kingship was given.
Sources
:
Map
of Iraq showing the archaeological sites where clay tablets containing
(parts of) the Sumerian King List have been found
The
Sumerian King List is known from a number of different sources,
all in the form of clay tablets or cylinders and written in Sumerian.
At least 16 different tablets or fragments containing parts of the
composition are known. Some tablets are unprovenanced, but most
have been recovered, or are known to have come from various sites
across Mesopotamia, the majority coming from Nippur. So far a version
of the SKL has been found outside of Babylonia only once: there
is one manuscript containing a part of the composition from Tell
Leilan in Upper Mesopotamia.
There
is only one manuscript that contains a relatively undamaged version
of the composition. This is the Weld-Blundell Prism which includes
the antediluvian part of the composition and ends with the Isin
dynasty. Other manuscripts are incomplete because they are damaged
or fragmentary. The Scheil dynastic tablet, from Susa, for example,
only contains parts of the composition running from Uruk II to Ur
III.
The
majority of the sources is dated to the Old Babylonian period (early
second millennium BC), and more specifically the early part of that
era. In many cases, a more precise dating is not possible, but in
one case, the Weld-Blundell prism, it could be dated to year 11
of the reign of king Sin-Magir of Isin, the last ruler to be mentioned
in the Sumerian King List. The so-called Ur III Sumerian King List
(USKL), on a clay tablet possibly found in Adab, is the only known
version of the SKL that predates the Old Babylonian period. The
colophon of this text mentions that it was copied during the reign
of Shulgi (2084–2037 BC), the second king of the Ur III dynasty.
The USKL is especially interesting because its pre-Sargonic part
is completely different from that of the SKL. Whereas the SKL records
many different dynasties from several cities, the USKL starts with
a single long list of rulers from Kish (including rulers who, in
the SKL were part of different Kish dynasties), followed by a few
other dynasties, followed again by the kings of Akkad.
Contents
:
Map
of Iraq showing the cities that are mentioned in the Sumerian King
List and that have been identified archaeologically. Akkad, Awan,
Akshak and Larak have not yet been securely identified. Gutium is
located in the Zagros Mountains
The
sources differ in their exact contents. This is not only the result
of many sources being fragmentary, it is also the result of scribal
errors made during copying of the composition, and of the fact that
changes were made to the composition through time. For example,
the section on rulers before the flood is not present in every copy
of the text, including every text from Nippur, where the majority
of versions of the SKL was found. Also, the order of some of the
dynasties or kings may be changed between copies, some dynasties
that were separately mentioned in one version are taken together
in another, details on the lengths of individual reigns vary, and
individual kings may be left out entirely.
The
following summary and line numbers are taken from the compilation
by the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, which in turn
takes the text of the Weld-Blundell prism as its main source, listing
other versions when there are differences in the text.
Lines
1–39: before the flood :
This section, which is not present in every copy of the text, opens
with the line "After the kingship descended from heaven, the
kingship was in Eridu." Two kings of Eridu are mentioned, before
the city "fell" and the "kingship was taken to Bad-tibira".
This pattern of cities receiving kingship and then falling or being
defeated, only to be succeeded by the next, is present throughout
the entire text, often in the exact same words. This first section
lists eight kings who ruled over five cities (apart from Eridu and
Bad-tibiru, these also included Larag, Zimbir and Shuruppag). The
duration of each reign is also given. In this first section, the
reigns vary between 43,200 and 28,800 years for a total of 241,200
years. The section ends with the line "Then the flood swept
over". Among the kings mentioned in this section is the ancient
Mesopotamian god Dumuzid (the later Tammuz).
Lines
40–265: first dynasty of Kish to Lugal-zage-si :
"After the flood had swept over, and the kingship descended
from heaven, the kingship was in Kish." After this well-known
line, the section goes on to list 23 kings of Kish, who ruled between
1500 and 300 years for a total of 24,510 years. The exact number
of years varies between copies. Apart from the lengths of their
reigns and whether they were the son of their predecessor (for example,
"Mashda, the son of Atab, ruled for 840 years"), no other
details are usually given on the exploits of these kings. Exceptions
are Etana, "who ascended to heaven and consolidated all the
foreign countries" and Enmebaragesi, "who made the land
of Elam submit". Enmebaragesi is also the first king in the
Sumerian King List whose name is attested from contemporaneous (Early
Dynastic I) inscriptions. His successor Aga of Kish, the final king
mentioned before Kish fell and kingship was taken to E-ana, also
appears in the poem Gilgamesh and Aga.
The
next lines, up until Sargon of Akkad, show a steady succession of
cities and kings, usually without much detail beyond the lengths
of the individual reigns. Every entry is structured exactly the
same: the city where kingship is located is named, followed by one
or more kings and how long they reigned, followed by a summary and
a final line indicating where kingship went next. Lines 134–147
may serve as an example:
In
Ur, Mesannepada became king; he ruled for 80 years. Meskiagnun,
the son of Mesannepada, became king; he ruled for 36 years. Elulu
ruled for 25 years. Balulu ruled for 36 years. 4 kings; they ruled
for 171 years. Then Ur was defeated and the kingship was taken to
Awan.
Individual
reigns vary in length, from 1200 years for Lugalbanda of Uruk, to
six years for another king of Uruk and several kings of Akshak.
On average, the number of regnal years decreases down the list.
Some city names, such as Uruk, Ur and Kish, appear more than once
in the Sumerian King List. The earlier part of this section mentions
several kings who are also known from other literary sources. These
kings include Dumuzid the Fisherman and Gilgamesh, although virtually
no king from the earlier part of this section appears in inscriptions
dating from the actual period in which they were supposed to live.
Lines 211–223 describe a dynasty from Mari, which is a city
outside Sumer proper but which played an important role in Mesopotamian
history during the late third and early second millennia BC. The
following third dynasty of Kish consists of a single ruler Kug-Bau
("the woman tavern keeper"), thought to be the only queen
listed in the Sumerian King List. The final two dynasties of this
section, the fourth of Kish and the third of Uruk, provide a link
to the next section. Sargon of Akkad is mentioned in the Sumerian
King List as cup-bearer to Ur-zababa of Kish, and he defeated Lugal-zage-si
of Uruk before founding his own dynasty.
Lines
266–377: Akkad to Isin :
This section is devoted to the well-known Akkadian ruler Sargon
and his successors. After the entry on Shar-kali-sharri, the Sumerian
King List reads "Then who was king? Who was not king?",
suggesting a period of chaos that may reflect the uncertain times
during which the Akkadian Empire came to an end. Four kings are
mentioned to have ruled for a total of only three years. Of the
Akkadian kings mentioned after Shar-kali-sharri, only the names
of Dudu and Shu-turul have been attested in inscriptions dating
from the Akkadian period. The Akkadian dynasty is succeeded by the
fourth dynasty of Uruk, two kings of which, Ur-nigin and his son
Ur-gigir, appear in other contemporary inscriptions. Kingship was
then taken to the "land" or "army" of Gutium,
of which it was said that at first they had no kings and that they
ruled themselves for a few years. After this short episode, 21 Gutian
kings are listed before the fall of Gutium and kingship was taken
to Uruk. Only one ruler is listed during this period of kingship
(Utu-hegal), before it moved on to Ur. The so-called Third Dynasty
of Ur consisted of 5 kings who ruled between 9 and 46 years. No
other details of their exploits are given. The Sumerian King List
remarks that, after the rule of Ur was abolished, "The very
foundation of Sumer was torn out", after which kingship was
taken to Isin. The kings of Isin are the final dynasty that is included
in the list. The dynasty consisted of 14 kings who ruled between
3 and 33 years. As with the Ur III dynasty, no details are given
on the reigns of individual kings.
Lines
378–431: summary :
Some versions of the Sumerian King List conclude with a summary
of the dynasties after the flood. In this summary, the number of
kings and their accumulated regnal years are mentioned for each
city, as well as the number of times that city had received kingship:
"A total of 12 kings ruled for 396 years, 3 times in Urim."
The final line again tallies the numbers for all these dynasties:
"There are 11 cities, cities in which the kingship was exercised.
A total of 134 kings, who altogether ruled for 28876 + X years."
Discussion
:
Piotr Steinkeller [de] has observed that, with the exception of
the Epic of Gilgamesh, there might not be a single cuneiform text
with as much "name recognition" as the Sumerian King List.
The SKL might also be among the compositions that have fuelled the
most intense debate and controversy among academia. These debates
generally focused on when, where and why it was created, and if
and how the text can be used in the reconstruction of the political
history of Mesopotamia during the third and second millennia BC.
Dating,
redaction and purpose :
![](Scheil_dynastic_tablet_(1911).jpg)
The
Scheil dynastic tablet, containing a part of the Sumerian King List,
from Uruk II to Ur III. Transcription and translation in French
(1911)
All
but one of the surviving versions of the Sumerian King List date
to the Old Babylonian period, i.e. the early part of the second
millennium BC. One version, the Ur III Sumerian King List (USKL)
dates to the reign of Shulgi (2084–2037 BC). By carefully
comparing the different versions, especially the USKL with the much
later Old Babylonian versions of the SKL, it has been shown that
the composition that is now known as the SKL was probably first
created in the Sargonic period in a form very similar to the USKL.
It has even been suggested that this precursor of the SKL was not
written in Sumerian, but in Akkadian. The original contents of the
USKL, especially the pre-Sargonic part, were probably significantly
altered only after the Ur III period, as a reaction to the societal
upheaval that resulted from the desintegration of the Ur III state
at the end of the third millennium BC. This altering of the composition
meant that the original long, uninterrupted list of kings of Kish
was cut up in smaller dynasties (e.g. Kish I, Kish II, and so forth),
and that other dynasties were inserted. The result was the SKL as
it is known from Old Babylonian manuscripts such as the Weld-Blundell
prism. The cyclical change of kingship from one city to the next
became a so-called Leitmotif, or recurring theme, in the Sumerian
King List.
It
has been generally accepted that the main aim was not to provide
a historiographical record of the political landscape of ancient
Mesopotamia. Instead, it has been suggested that the SKL, in its
various redactions, was used by contemporary rulers to legitimize
their claims to power over Babylonia. Steinkeller has argued that
the SKL was first created during the Akkad dynasty to position Akkad
as a direct heir to the hegemony of Kish. Thus, it would make sense
to present the predecessors to the Akkadian kings as a long, unbroken
line of rulers from Kish. In this way the Akkadian dynasty could
legitimize its claims to power over Babylonia by arguing that, from
the earliest times onwards, there had always been a single city
where kingship was exercised. Later rulers then used the Sumerian
King List for their own political purposes, amending and adding
to the text as they saw fit. This is why, for example, the version
recorded on the Weld-Blundell prism ends with the Isin dynasty,
suggesting that it was now their turn to rule over Mesopotamia as
the rightful inheritors of the Ur III legacy. The use of the SKL
as political propaganda may also explain why some versions, including
the older USKL, did not contain the antediluvian part of the list.
In its original form, the list started with the hegemony of Kish.
Some city-states may have been uncomfortable with the preeminent
position of Kish. By inserting a section of primordial kings who
ruled before a flood, which is only known from some Old Babylonian
versions, the importance of Kish could be downplayed.
Reliability
as a historical source :
During much of the 20th century, many scholars accepted the Sumerian
King List as a historical source of great importance for the reconstruction
of the political history of Mesopotamia, despite the problems associated
with the text. For example, many scholars have observed that the
kings in the early part of the list reigned for unnaturally long
time spans. Various approaches have been offered to reconcile these
long reigns with a historical time line in which reigns would fall
within reasonable human bounds, and with what is known from the
archaeological record as well as other textual sources. Thorkild
Jacobsen argued in his major 1939 study of the SKL that, in principle,
all rulers mentioned in the list should be considered historical
because their names were taken from older lists that were kept for
administrative purposes and could therefore be considered reliable.
His solution to the reigns considered too long, then, was to argue
that "[t]heir occurrence in our material must be ascribed to
a tendency known also among other peoples of antiquity to form very
exaggerated ideas of the length of human life in the earliest times
of which they were conscious." In order to create a fixed chronology
where individual kings could be absolutely dated, Jacobsen replaced
time spans considered too long with average reigns of 20–30
years. For example, Etana ruled for 1500 years according to the
SKL, but instead Jacobsen assumed a reign of circa 30 years. In
this manner, and by working backwards from reigns whose dates could
be independently established by other means, Jacobsen was able to
fit all pre-Sargonic kings in a chronology consistent with the dates
that were at that time (1939) accepted for the Early Dynastic period
in Mesopotamia. Jacobsen has been criticised for putting too much
faith in the reliability of the king list, for making wishful reconstructions
and readings of incomplete parts of the list, for ignoring inconsistencies
between the SKL and other textual evidence, and for ignoring the
fact that only very few of the pre-Sargonic rulers have been attested
in contemporaneous (i.e. Early Dynastic) inscriptions.
Others
have attempted to reconcile the reigns in the Sumerian King List
by arguing that many time spans were actually consciously invented,
mathematically derived numbers. Rowton, for example, observed that
a majority of the reigns in the Gutian dynasty were 5, 6, or 7 years
in length. In the sexagesimal system used at that time, "about
6 years" would be the same as "about 10 years" in
a decimal system (i.e. a general round number). This was sufficient
evidence for him to conclude that at least these figures were completely
artificial. The longer time spans from the first part of the list
could also be argued to be artificial: various reigns were multiples
of 60 (e.g. Jushur reigned for 600 years, Puannum ruled for 840
years) while others were squares (e.g. Ilku reigned for 900 years
(square of 30) while Meshkiangasher ruled for 324 years (square
of 18)).
During
the last few decades, scholars have taken a more careful approach.
For example, many recent handbooks on the archaeology and history
of ancient Mesopotamia all acknowledge the problematic nature of
the SKL and warn that the list's use as a historical document for
that period is severely limited up to the point that it should not
be used at all. It has been argued, for example, that the omission
of certain cities in the list which were known to have been important
at the time, such as Lagash and Larsa, was deliberate. Furthermore,
the fact that the SKL adheres to a strict sequential ordering of
kingships which were considered equal means that it does no justice
at all to the actual complexities of Mesopotamian political history
where different reigns overlapped, or where different rulers or
cities were not equally powerful. Recent studies on the SKL even
go so far as to discredit the composition as a valuable historical
source on Early Dynastic Mesopotamia altogether. Important arguments
to dismiss the SKL as a reliable and valuable source are its nature
as a political, ideological text, its long redactional history,
and the fact that out of the many pre-Sargonic kings listed, only
seven have been attested in contemporary Early Dynastic inscriptions.
The final volume on the history and philology of third millennium
BC Mesopotamia of the ESF-funded ARCANE-project (Associated Regional
Chronologies for the Ancient Near East and the Eastern Mediterranean),
for example, did not list any of the pre-Sargonic rulers from the
SKL in its chronological tables unless their existence was corroborated
by Early Dynastic inscriptions.
Thus,
in the absence of independent sources from the Early Dynastic period
itself, the pre-Sargonic part of the SKL must be considered fictional.
Many of the rulers in the pre-Sargonic part (i.e. prior to Sargon
of Akkad) of the list must therefore be considered as purely fictional
or mythological characters to which reigns of hundreds of years
were assigned. However, there is a small group of pre-Sargonic rulers
in the SKL whose names have been attested in Early Dynastic inscriptions.This
group consists of seven rulers: Enmebaragesi, Gilgamesh, Mesannepada,
Meskiagnun, Elulu, Enshakushanna and Lugal-zage-si. It has also
been shown that several kings did not rule sequentially as described
by the Sumerian King List, but rather contemporaneously. Starting
with the Akkadian rulers, but especially for the Ur III and Isin
dynasties, the SKL becomes much more reliable. Not only are most
of the kings attested in other contemporaneous documents, but the
reigns attributed to them in the SKL are more or less in line with
what can be established from those other sources. This is probably
due to the fact that the compilers of the SKL could rely on lists
of year names, which came in regular use during the Akkadian period.
Other sources may have included votive and victory inscriptions.
However,
while the SKL has little value for the study on Early Dynastic Mesopotamia,
it continues to be an important document for the study on the Sargonic
to Old Babylonian periods. The Sumerian King List offers scholars
a window into how Old Babylonian kings and scribes viewed their
own history, how they perceived the concept of kingship, and how
they could have used it to further their own goals. For example,
it has been noted that the king list is unique among Sumerian compositions
in there being no divine intervention in the process of dynastic
change. Also, the style and contents of the Sumerian King List certainly
influenced later compositions such as the Curse of Akkad, the Lamentation
over Sumer and Akkad, later king lists such as the Assyrian King
List, and the Babyloniaca by Berossus.
Rulers
in the Sumerian King List :
Early dates are approximate, and are based on available archaeological
data. For most of the pre-Akkadian rulers listed, the king list
is itself the lone source of information. Beginning with Lugal-zage-si
and the Third Dynasty of Uruk (which was defeated by Sargon of Akkad),
a better understanding of how subsequent rulers fit into the chronology
of the ancient Near East can be deduced. The short chronology is
used here.
Antediluvian
rulers :
None
of the following predynastic antediluvian rulers have been verified
as historical by archaeological excavations, epigraphical inscriptions
or otherwise. While there is no evidence they ever reigned as such,
the Sumerians purported them to have lived in the mythical era before
the great deluge.
The
"antediluvian" reigns were measured in Sumerian numerical
units known as sars (units of 3,600), ners (units of 600), and sosses
(units of 60). Attempts have been made to map these numbers into more
reasonable regnal lengths.
![](420px-Sumerian_King_List,_1800_BC,_Larsa,_Iraq_(detail).jpg)
The
Weld-Blundell Prism, inscribed with the Sumerian King List
The
Sumerian King List is an ancient text in the Sumerian language,
listing kings of Sumer (ancient southern Iraq) from Sumerian and
neighboring dynasties, their supposed reign lengths, and the locations
of the kingship. This text is preserved in several recensions. The
list of kings is sequential, although modern research indicates
many were contemporaries, reflecting the belief that kingship was
handed down by the gods and could be transferred from one city to
another, asserting to a hegemony in the region.
The
final attested version of the King List, dating to the Middle Bronze
Age, aimed to legitimize Isin's claims to hegemony when Isin competed
for dominance with Larsa and other neighboring city-states in southern
Mesopotamia.
Composition
:
The list blends prehistorical, presumably mythical predynastic rulers
enjoying implausibly lengthy reigns with later, more plausibly historical
dynasties. Although the primal kings are historically unattested,
that does not preclude their possible correspondence with historical
rulers who were later mythicized. Some Assyriologists view the predynastic
kings as a later fictional addition. Only one ruler listed is
known to be female: Kug-Bau "the (female) tavern-keeper",
who alone accounts for the Third Dynasty of Kish. The earliest
listed ruler whose historicity has been archaeologically verified
is Enmebaragesi of Kish, c. 2600 BC. Reference to him and his successor,
Aga of Kish, in the Epic of Gilgamesh has led to speculation that
Gilgamesh himself may have been a historical king of Uruk. Three
dynasties are absent from the list: the Larsa dynasty, which vied
for power with the (included) Isin dynasty during the Isin-Larsa
period; and the two dynasties of Lagash, which respectively preceded
and ensued the Akkadian Empire, when Lagash exercised considerable
influence in the region. Lagash, in particular, is known directly
from archaeological artifacts dating from c. 2500 BC. The list is
important to the chronology of the 3rd millennium BC. However, the
fact that many of the dynasties listed reigned simultaneously from
varying localities makes it difficult to reproduce a strict linear
chronology.
Sources
:
The following extant ancient sources contain the Sumerian King
List or portions of it :
Time
Period |
• |
The
Weld-Blundell Prism, inscribed with the Sumerian
King List |
• |
Apkullu-list
(W.20030,7) |
• |
Babyloniaca
of Berossus |
• |
Dynastic
Chronicle (ABC 18) including copies, K 11261+ and
K 12054 |
• |
Kish
Tablet |
• |
UCBC
9-1819 ("California Tablet") |
• |
WB
62 |
• |
WB
444 (Weld-Blundell Prism) |
• |
Nippur
fragment (Ni. 3195) |
|
![](Sumeriankinglist.jpg)
The
Weld-Blundell Prism, inscribed with the Sumerian King List
The two sources marked WB are a part of the "Weld-Blundell
collection", donated by Herbert Weld Blundell to the Ashmolean
Museum. WB 62 is a small clay tablet, inscribed only on one side,
unearthed from Larsa. It is the oldest dated source, at c. 2000
BC, that contains the list. WB 444, in contrast, is a unique inscribed
vertical prism, dated c. 1817 BC, although some scholars prefer
c. 1827 BC. The Kish Tablet or Scheil dynastic tablet is an early
2nd millennium BC tablet which came into possession of Jean-Vincent
Scheil, but only contains list entries for four Sumerian cities.
UCBC 9-1819 is a clay tablet housed in the collection of the Museum
of Anthropology at the University of California. The tablet was
inscribed during the reign of the Babylonian King Samsu-iluna, or
slightly earlier, with the earliest date of 1712 BC. The Dynastic
Chronicle (ABC 18) is a Babylonian king list written on six columns,
beginning with entries for the antediluvian (prior to the flood)
Sumerian rulers. K 11261+ is one of the copies of this chronicle,
consisting of three joined Neo-Assyrian fragments discovered at
the Library of Ashurbanipal. K 12054 is another of the Neo-Assyrian
fragments from Uruk (c. 640 BC) but contains a variant form of the
antediluvians on the list. The later Babylonian king lists and Assyrian
king lists repeated the earliest portions of the list, thus preserving
them well into the 3rd century BC. At this time, Berossus wrote
Babyloniaca, which popularized fragments of the list in the Hellenic
world. In 1960, the Apkullu-list (Tablet No. W.20030, 7) or "Uruk
List of Kings and Sages" (ULKS) was discovered by German archaeologists
at an ancient temple at Uruk. The list, dating to c. 165 BC, contains
a series of kings, equivalent to the Sumerian antediluvians, called
"Apkullu".
Contents
:
Early dates are approximate, and are based on available archaeological
data. For most of the pre-Akkadian rulers listed, the king list
is itself the lone source of information. Beginning with Lugal-zage-si
and the Third Dynasty of Uruk (which was defeated by Sargon of Akkad),
a better understanding of how subsequent rulers fit into the chronology
of the ancient Near East can be deduced. The short chronology is
used here.
Antediluvian
rulers :
None of the following predynastic antediluvian rulers have been
verified as historical by archaeological excavations, epigraphical
inscriptions or otherwise. While there is no evidence they ever
reigned as such, the Sumerians purported them to have lived in the
mythical era before the great deluge.
The
"antediluvian" reigns were measured in Sumerian numerical
units known as sars (units of 3,600), ners (units of 600), and sosses
(units of 60). Attempts have been made to map these numbers into
more reasonable regnal lengths.
Ruler |
Particulars |
"After
the kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in
Eridug. In Eridug, Alulim became king; he ruled for 28800
years" |
Alulim
|
Length
of reign : 8 sars (28,800 years) |
Alalngar
|
Length
of reign : 10 sars (36,000 years)
|
"Then
Eridug fell and the kingship was taken to Bad-tibira" |
En-men-lu-ana
|
Length
of reign : 12 sars (43,200 years)
|
En-men-gal-ana
|
Length
of reign : 8 sars (28,800 years) |
Dumuzid,
the Shepherd |
Length
of reign : 10 sars (36,000 years)
Epitheh
: "the shepherd"
|
"Then
Bad-tibira fell and the kingship was taken to Larag" |
En-sipad-zid-ana
|
Length
of reign : 8 sars (28,800 years)
|
"Then
Larag fell and the kingship was taken to Zimbir."
|
En-men-dur-ana
|
Length
of reign : 5 sars and 5 ners (21,000 years)
|
"Then
Zimbir fell and the kingship was taken to Shuruppag" |
Ubara-Tutu
|
Length
of reign : 5 sars and 1 ner (18,600 years)
Comments
:
Father
of Utnapishtim in Epic of Gilgamesh |
"Then
the flood swept over" |
First
dynasty of Kish :
Ruler |
Particulars |
"After
the flood had swept over, and the kingship had descended
from heaven, the kingship was in Kish" |
Jushur
|
Length
of reign : 1,200 years
Approx
dates : Historicity uncertain
Comments
:
Names
before Etana are archaeologically unverified. |
Kullassina-bel
|
Length
of reign : 960 years |
Nangishlishma
|
Length
of reign : 670 years |
En-tarah-ana
|
Length
of reign : 420 years |
Babum
|
Length
of reign : 300 years |
Puannum
/ Pu'annum / Gautam / Gaudumu / Gu-udu-mu-mu / |
Length
of reign : 840 years |
Kalibum
|
Length
of reign : 960 years |
Kalumum
|
Length
of reign : 840 years |
Zuqaqip
|
Length
of reign : 900 years |
Atab
(or A-ba) |
Length
of reign : 600 years |
Mashda
|
Length
of reign : 840 years
Epithet
: "the son of Atab" |
Arwium
|
Length
of reign : 720 years
Epithet
: "the son of Mashda"
|
Etana
|
Length
of reign : 1,500 years
Epithet
: "the shepherd, who ascended to heaven and consolidated
all the foreign countries"
Comments
:
Myth
of Etana exists.
|
Balih
|
Length
of reign : 400 years
Epithet
: "the son of Etana"
|
En-me-nuna
|
Length
of reign : 660 years |
Melem-Kish
|
Length
of reign : 900 years
Epithet
: "the son of En-me-nuna"
|
Barsal-nuna
|
Length
of reign : 1,200 years
Epithet
: ("the son of En-me-nuna")*
|
Zamug
|
Length
of reign : 140 years
Epithet
: "the son of Barsal-nuna"
|
Tizqar
|
Length
of reign : 305 years
Epithet
: "the son of Zamug"
|
Ilku
|
Length
of reign : 900 years |
Iltasadum
|
Length
of reign : 1,200 years |
Enmebaragesi
|
Length
of reign : 900 years
Approx.
dates : EDI
Epithet
: "who made the land of Elam submit"
Comments
:
Earliest
ruler on the list to be attested directly from archeology.
|
Aga
of Kish |
Length
of reign : 625 years
Approx.
dates : EDI
Epithet
: "the son of En-me-barage-si"
Comments
:
According
to Gilgamesh and Aga he fought Gilgamesh.
|
"Then
Kish was defeated and the kingship was taken to E-ana"
|
First
rulers of Uruk :
Ruler |
Particulars |
Mesh-ki-ang-gasher
of E-ana |
Length
of reign : 324 years
Approx
dates : Late Uruk Period
Epithet
: "the
son of Utu"
Comments
:
Historicity
doubted, thought to be an addition by the Ur III period.
|
"Mesh-ki-ang-gasher
entered the sea and disappeared" |
Enmerkar
|
Length
of reign : 420 years
Approx
dates : Late Uruk Period
Epithet
: "the
son of Mesh-ki-ang-gasher, the king of Unug, who built Unug
(Uruk)" |
Lugalbanda
|
Length
of reign : 1,200 years
Approx
dates : Late Uruk Period
Epithet
: "the
shepherd"
Comments
:
Historicy
is uncertain among scholars. |
Dumuzid
the Fisherman |
Length
of reign : 100 years
Approx
dates : Jemdet Nasr period
Epithet
: "the
fisherman whose city was Kuara."
"He was taken captive by the single hand of Enmebaragesi"
Comments
:
Historicity
doubted, thought to be an addition by the Ur III period.
|
Gilgamesh
|
Length
of reign : 126 years
Approx
dates : EDI
Epithet
: "whose
father was a phantom (?), the lord of Kulaba"
Comments
:
Contemporary
with Aga of Kish, according to Gilgamesh and Aga.
|
Ur-Nungal
|
Length
of reign : 30 years
Epithet
: "the
son of Gilgamesh" |
Udul-kalama
|
Length
of reign : 15 years
Epithet
: "the
son of Ur-Nungal" |
La-ba'shum
|
Length
of reign : 9 years
|
En-nun-tarah-ana |
Length
of reign : 8 years |
Mesh-he |
Length
of reign : 36 years
Epithet
: "the
smith" |
Melem-ana |
Length
of reign : 6 years
|
Lugal-kitun |
Length
of reign : 36 years
|
"Then
Unug was defeated and the kingship was taken to Urim (Ur)"
|
First
dynasty of Ur :
![](631px-Golden_helmet_of_Meskalamdug_in_the_British_Museum.jpg)
Gold
helmet of Meskalamdug, possible founder of the First Dynasty of
Ur
Ruler |
Particulars |
Mesh-Ane-pada |
Length
of reign : 80 years
Approx
dates : c. 27th century BC
Comments
:
Existence
is likely as it is supported by lot of tablets.
|
Mesh-ki-ang-Nuna |
Length
of reign : 36 years
Epithet
: "the son of Mesh-Ane-pada" |
Elulu |
Length
of reign : 25 years
Approx
dates : c. 27th century BC
|
Balulu |
Length
of reign : 36 years
|
"Then
Urim was defeated and the kingship was taken to Awan"
|
Dynasty
of Awan :
This
was a dynasty from Elam.
Ruler |
Particulars |
Three
kings of Awan |
Length
of reign : 356 years
Approx
dates : c. 26th century BC
|
"Then
Awan was defeated and the kingship was taken to Kish"
|
Second
dynasty of Kish :
Ruler |
Particulars |
Susuda |
Length
of reign : 201 years
Approx
dates : EDII
Epithet
: "the
fuller" |
Dadasig |
Length
of reign : 81 years |
Mamagal
|
Length
of reign : 360 years
Epithet
: "the
boatman" |
Kalbum |
Length
of reign : 195 years
Epithet
: "the
son of Mamagal" |
Tuge |
Length
of reign : 360
years |
Men-nuna |
Length
of reign : 180 years
Epithet
: "the
son of Tuge" |
(Enbi-Ishtar) |
Length
of reign : 290
years |
Lugalngu |
Length
of reign : 360
years |
"Then
Kish was defeated and the kingship was taken to Hamazi" |
The
First dynasty of Lagash (c. 2500 – c. 2271 BC) is not mentioned
in the King List, though it is well known from inscriptions.
Dynasty
of Hamazi :
Ruler |
Particulars |
Hadanish |
Length
of reign : 360 years
Approx
dates : c. 2500 BC
|
"Then
Hamazi was defeated and the kingship was taken to Unug (Uruk)" |
Second
dynasty of Uruk :
Ruler |
Particulars |
En-shag-kush-ana |
Length
of reign : 60 years
Approx
dates : c. 25th century BC
Comments
:
Said
to have conquered parts of Sumer; then Eannatum of Lagash
claims to have taken over Sumer, Kish, and all Mesopotamia.
|
Lugal-kinishe-dudu
or Lugal-ure |
Length
of reign : 120 years
Comments
:
Contemporary
with Entemena of Lagash
|
Argandea |
Length
of reign : 7 years
|
"Then
Unug was defeated and the kingship was taken to Urim (Ur)"
|
Second
dynasty of Ur :
Ruler |
Particulars |
Nanni |
Length
of reign : 120 years
Approx
dates : c. 23rd century BC |
Mesh-ki-ang-Nanna
II |
Length
of reign : 48 years
Epithet
: "the son of Nanni" |
"Then
Urim was defeated and the kingship was taken to Adab" |
Dynasty
of Adab :
Ruler |
Particulars |
Lugal-Ane-mundu |
Length
of reign : 90 years
Approx
dates : c. 25th century BC
Comments
:
Said to
have conquered all Mesopotamia from the Persian Gulf to the
Zagros Mountains and Elam. |
"Then
Adab was defeated and the kingship was taken to Mari" |
Dynasty
of Mari :
Ruler |
Particulars |
Anbu |
Length
of reign : 30 years
Approx
dates : c. 25th century BC |
Anba |
Length
of reign : 17 years
Epithet
: "the son of Anbu" |
Bazi |
Length
of reign : 30 years
Epithet
: "the leatherworker" |
Zizi
of Mari |
Length
of reign : 20 years
Epithet
: "the fuller" |
Limer |
Length
of reign : 30 years
Epithet
: "the 'gudug' priest" |
Sharrum-iter |
Length
of reign : 9 years
|
"Then
Mari was defeated and the kingship was taken to Kish" |
Third
dynasty of Kish :
Ruler |
Particulars |
Kug-Bau
(Kubaba) |
Length
of reign : 100 years
Approx
dates : c. 24th century BC
Epithet
: "the woman tavern-keeper, who made firm the foundations
of Kish"
Comments
:
The
only known woman in the King List; said to have gained independence
from En-anna-tum I of Lagash and En-shag-kush-ana of Uruk;
contemporary with Puzur-Nirah of Akshak, according to the
later Chronicle of the É-sagila. |
"Then
Adab was defeated and the kingship was taken to Mari" |
Dynasty
of Akshak :
Ruler |
Particulars |
Unzi |
Length
of reign : 30 years
Approx
dates : c. 25th – 24th century BC |
Undalulu |
Length
of reign : 6 years |
Urur |
Length
of reign : 6 years
|
Puzur-Nirah |
Length
of reign : 20 years
Comments
:
Contemporary with Kug-Bau of Kish, according
to the later Chronicle of É-sagila
|
Ishu-Il |
Length
of reign : 24 years
|
Shu-Suen
of Akshak |
Length
of reign : 7 years
Epithet
: "the son of Ishu-Il" |
"Then
Akshak was defeated and the kingship was taken to Kish" |
Fourth
dynasty of Kish :
Ruler |
Particulars |
Puzur-Suen |
Length
of reign : 25 years
Approx
dates : c. 2350 BC
Epithet
: c. "the son of Kug-Bau" |
Ur-Zababa |
Length
of reign : 400 (6?) years
Approx
dates : c. 2350 BC
Epithet
: "the son of Puzur-Suen"
Comments
:
According to the king list, Sargon of Akkad was his cup-bearer.
|
Zimudar |
Length
of reign : 30 years |
Usi-watar |
Length
of reign : 7 years
Epithet
: "the son of Zimudar" |
Eshtar-muti |
Length
of reign : 11 years |
Ishme-Shamash |
Length
of reign : 11 years |
(Shu-ilishu)* |
Length
of reign : (15 years)* |
Nanniya |
Length
of reign : 7 years
Epithet
: "the jeweller" |
"Then
Kish was defeated and the kingship was taken to Unug (Uruk)" |
Third
dynasty of Uruk :
Ruler |
Particulars |
Lugal-zage-si |
Length
of reign : 25 years
Approx
dates : c. 2296 - 2271 BC (short)
Comments
:
Said to have defeated Urukagina of Lagash, as well as Kish
and other Sumerian cities, creating a unified kingdom; he
in turn was overthrown by Sargon of Akkad. |
"Then
Unug was defeated and the kingship was taken to Agade (Akkad)" |
Dynasty
of Akkad :
![](550px-Sargon_of_Akkad_(frontal).jpg)
Bronze
head of an Akkadian, probably an image of Manishtusu or Naram-Sin;
descendants of Sargon of Akkad (National Museum of Iraq)
Ruler |
Particulars |
Sargon
of Akkad |
Length
of reign : 40 years
Approx
dates : c. 2270 - 2215 BC (short)
Epithet
: "whose father was a gardener, the cupbearer of Ur-Zababa,
became king, the king of Agade, who built Agade"
Comments
:
Defeated Lugal-zage-si of Uruk, took over Sumer, and began
the Akkadian Empire. |
Rimush
of Akkad |
Length
of reign : 9 years
Approx
dates : c. 2214 - 2206 BC (short)
Epithet
: "the son of Sargon" |
Manishtushu
(Manishtusu)
|
Length
of reign : 15 years
Approx
dates : c. 2205 - 2191 BC (short)
Epithet
: "the older brother of Rimush, the son of Sargon" |
Naram-Sin
of Akkad |
Length
of reign : 56 years
Approx
dates : c. 2190 - 2154 BC (short)
Epithet
: "the son of Man-ishtishu" |
Shar-kali-sharri |
Length
of reign : 25 years
Approx
dates : c. 2153 - 2129 BC (short)
Epithet
: "the son of Naram-Sin" |
"Then
who was king? Who was not the king?" |
•
Irgigi
•
Imi
•
Nanum
•
Ilulu |
Length
of reign : 4 years
Approx
dates : c. 2128 - 2125 BC (short) |
Dudu
of Akkad |
Length
of reign : 21 years
Approx
dates : c. 2125 - 2104 BC (short) |
Shu-Durul |
Length
of reign : 15 years
Approx
dates : c. 2104 - 2083 BC (short)
Comments
:
Akkad falls to the Gutians. |
"Then
Agade was defeated and the kingship was taken to Unug (Uruk)" |
Fourth
dynasty of Uruk :
Ruler |
Particulars |
Ur-ningin |
Length
of reign : 7 years
Approx
dates : c. 2091? – 2061? BC (short) |
Ur-gigir |
Length
of reign : 6 years
Epithet
: "the son of Ur-ningin" |
Kuda |
Length
of reign : 6 years |
Puzur-ili |
Length
of reign : 5years |
Ur-Utu
(or Lugal-melem) |
Length
of reign : 25 years
Approx
dates : ("the son of Ur-gigir")*
|
"Unug
was defeated and the kingship was taken to the army of Gutium" |
The
Second dynasty of Lagash (before c. 2093–2046 BC (short))
is not mentioned in the King List, though it is well known from
inscriptions.
Gutian
rule :
![](353px-Gutium_(name).jpg)
Mention
of the Gutian dynasty of Sumer in the tablet of Lugalanatum (gu-ti-umKI)
Ruler |
Particulars |
"In
the army of Gutium, at first no king was famous; they were
their own kings and ruled thus for 3 years" |
Inkišuš |
Length
of reign : 6 years
Approx
dates : c. 2147 - 2050 BC (short) |
Sarlagab
(or Zarlagab) |
Length
of reign : 6 years |
Shulme
(or Yarlagash) |
Length
of reign : 6 years |
Elulmeš
(or Silulumeš or Silulu) |
Length
of reign : 6 years |
Inimabakeš
(or Duga) |
Length
of reign : 5 years |
Igešauš
(or Ilu-An) |
Length
of reign : 6 years |
Yarlagab |
Length
of reign : 3 years |
Ibate
of Gutium |
Length
of reign : 3 years |
Yarla
(or Yarlangab) |
Length
of reign : 3 years |
Kurum |
Length
of reign : 1 year |
Apilkin |
Length
of reign : 3 years |
La-erabum |
Length
of reign : 2 years
Comments
:
Mace head
inscription. |
Irarum |
Length
of reign : 2 years |
Ibranum |
Length
of reign : 1 year |
Hablum |
Length
of reign : 2 years |
Puzur-Suen |
Length
of reign : 7 years
Comments
:
"the
son of Hablum" |
Yarlaganda |
Length
of reign : 7 years
Comments
:
Foundation
inscription at Umma |
Unknown |
Length
of reign : 7 years
Comments
:
Si'um
or Si-u? — foundation inscription at Umma. |
Tirigan |
Length
of reign : 40 days
Comments
:
Defeated
by Utu-hengal of Uruk.
|
"Then
the army of Gutium was defeated and the kingship taken to
Unug (Uruk)" |
Fifth
dynasty of Uruk :
Ruler |
Particulars |
Utu-hengal |
Length
of reign : Conflicting dates (427 years / 26 years / 7 years)
Approx
dates : c. 2055 - 2048 BC (short)
Comments
:
Defeats Tirigan and the Gutians, appoints Ur-Namma governor
of Ur. |
Third
dynasty of Ur :
Ruler |
Particulars |
Ur-Namma
(Ur-Nammu) |
Length
of reign : 18 years
Approx
dates : c. 2047 - 2030 BC (short)
Epithet
: "the son of Utu-Hengal"
Comments
:
Defeats Nammahani of Lagash; contemporary of Utu-hengal
of Uruk. |
Shulgi |
Length
of reign : 46 years
Approx
dates : c. 2029 - 1982 BC (short)
Epithet
: "the son of Ur-Namma"
Comments
:
Possible lunar/solar eclipse 2005 BC. |
Amar-Suena |
Length
of reign : 9 years
Approx
dates : c. 1981 - 1973 BC (short)
Epithet
: "the son of Shulgi" |
Shu-Suen |
Length
of reign : 9 years
Approx
dates : c. 1972 - 1964 BC (short)
Epithet
: "the son of Amar-Suena" |
Ibbi-Suen |
Length
of reign : 24 years
Approx
dates : c. 1963 - 1940 BC (short)
Epithet
: "the son of Shu-Suen" |
"Then
Urim was defeated. The very foundation of Sumer was torn
out. The kingship was taken to Isin" |
Independent
Amorite states in lower Mesopotamia. The Dynasty of Larsa (c. 1961–1674
BC (short)) from this period is not mentioned in the King List.
Dynasty
of Isin :
Ruler |
Particulars |
Ishbi-Erra |
Length
of reign : 33 years
Approx
dates : c. 1953 - 1920 BC (short)
Comments
:
Contemporary of Ibbi-Suen of Ur. |
Shu-Ilishu |
Length
of reign : 20 years
Epithet
: "the son of Ishbi-Erra" |
Iddin-Dagan |
Length
of reign : 20 years
Epithet
: "the son of Shu-ilishu" |
Ishme-Dagan |
Length
of reign : 20 years
Epithet
: "the son of Iddin-Dagan" |
Lipit-Eshtar |
Length
of reign : 11 years
Epithet
: "the son of Ishme-Dagan (or Iddin-Dagan)"
Comments
:
Contemporary of Gungunum of Larsa |
Ur-Ninurta |
Length
of reign : 28 years
Epithet
: ("the son of Ishkur, may he have years of abundance,
a good reign, and a sweet life")*
Comments
:
Contemporary of Abisare of Larsa. |
Bur-Suen |
Length
of reign : 21 years
Epithet
: "the son of Ur-Ninurta" |
Lipit-Enlil |
Length
of reign : 5 years
Epithet
: "the son of Bur-Suen" |
Erra-imitti |
Length
of reign
: 8 years
Comments
:
He appointed his gardener, Enlil-Bani, substitute king and
then suddenly died. |
Enlil-bani |
Length
of reign : 24 years
Comments
:
Contemporary of Sumu-la-El of Babylon. He was Erra-imitti's
gardener and was appointed substitute king, to serve as
a scapegoat and then sacrificed, but remained on the throne
when Erra-imitti suddenly died. |
Zambiya |
Length
of reign : 3 years
Comments
:
Contemporary of Sin-Iqisham of Larsa. |
Iter-pisha |
Length
of reign : 4 years |
Ur-du-kuga |
Length
of reign : 4 years |
Suen-magir |
Length
of reign : 11 years |
(Damiq-ilishu)* |
Length
of reign : (23 years)*
Epithet
: ("the son of Suen-magir")* |
*
These epithets or names are not included in all versions
of the king list.
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumerian_King_List#
:~:text=All%20but%20one%20of%20the,
(2084%E2%80%932037%20BC).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumerian_King_List