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Sumerian King List

The Sumerian King List inscribed onto the Weld-Blundell Prism, with transcription.
Original title	𒉆𒈗 (Nam-Lugal "Kingship").
Translator	Jean-Vincent Scheil Stephen Langdon 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.

Contents

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."

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.

Ruler		Epithet	Length of reign	Approx. dates	Comments
"After the kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in Eridug."
Alulim			8 sars (28,800 years)		Weld-Blundell Prism: initial paragraph about rule of Alulim and Alalngar in Eridu for 64.800 years.
Alalngar			10 sars (36,000 years)
"Then Eridug fell and the kingship was taken to Bad-tibira."
En-men-lu-ana			12 sars (43,200 years)
En-men-gal-ana			8 sars (28,800 years)
Dumuzid, the Shepherd		"the shepherd"	10 sars (36,000 years)		Dumuzid was deified and was the object of later devotional depictions, as the husband of goddess Inanna.
"Then Bad-tibira fell and the kingship was taken to Larag."
En-sipad-zid-ana			8 sars (28,800 years)
"Then Larag fell and the kingship was taken to Zimbir."
En-men-dur-ana			5 sars and 5 ners (21,000 years)
"Then Zimbir fell and the kingship was taken to Shuruppag."
Ubara-Tutu			5 sars and 1 ner (18,600 years)		father of Utnapishtim in Epic of Gilgamesh
"Then the flood swept over."

First dynasty of Kish

Ruler		Epithet	Length of reign	Approx. dates	Comments
"After the flood had swept over, and the kingship had descended from heaven, the kingship was in Kish."
Jushur			1,200 years	historicity uncertain	Names before Etana are archaeologically unverified.
Kullassina-bel			960 years
Nangishlishma			670 years
En-tarah-ana			420 years
Babum			300 years
Puannum			840 years
Kalibum			960 years
Kalumum			840 years
Zuqaqip			900 years
Atab (or A-ba)			600 years
Mashda		"the son of Atab"	840 years
Arwium		"the son of Mashda"	720 years
Etana		"the shepherd, who ascended to heaven and consolidated all the foreign countries"	1,500 years		Myth of Etana exists
Balih		"the son of Etana"	400 years
En-me-nuna			660 years
Melem-Kish		"the son of En-me-nuna"	900 years
Barsal-nuna		("the son of En-me-nuna")*	1,200 years
Zamug		"the son of Barsal-nuna"	140 years
Tizqar		"the son of Zamug"	305 years
Ilku			900 years
Iltasadum			1,200 years
Enmebaragesi		"who made the land of Elam submit"	900 years	EDI	Earliest ruler on the list to be attested directly from archeology.
Aga of Kish		"the son of En-me-barage-si"	625 years	EDI	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		Epithet	Length of reign	Approx. dates	Comments
Mesh-ki-ang-gasher of E-ana		"the son of Utu"	324 years	Late Uruk Period	Historicity doubted, thought to be an addition by the Ur III period.
"Mesh-ki-ang-gasher entered the sea and disappeared."
Enmerkar		"the son of Mesh-ki-ang-gasher, the king of Unug, who built Unug (Uruk)"	420 years	Late Uruk Period
Lugalbanda		"the shepherd"	1,200 years	Late Uruk Period	Historicy is uncertain among scholars.
Dumuzid the Fisherman		"the fisherman whose city was Kuara." "He was taken captive by the single hand of Enmebaragesi"	100 years	Jemdet Nasr period	Historicity doubted, thought to be an addition by the Ur III period.
Gilgamesh		"whose father was a phantom (?), the lord of Kulaba"	126 years	EDI	contemporary with Aga of Kish, according to Gilgamesh and Aga
Ur-Nungal		"the son of Gilgamesh"	30 years
Udul-kalama		"the son of Ur-Nungal"	15 years
La-ba'shum			9 years
En-nun-tarah-ana			8 years
Mesh-he		"the smith"	36 years
Melem-ana			6 years
Lugal-kitun			36 years
"Then Unug was defeated and the kingship was taken to Urim (Ur)."

First dynasty of Ur

Ruler		Epithet	Length of reign	Approx. dates	Comments
Mesh-Ane-pada			80 years	c. 27th century BC	Existence is likely as it is supported by lot of tablets.
Mesh-ki-ang-Nuna		"the son of Mesh-Ane-pada"	36 years
Elulu			25 years
Balulu			36 years
"Then Urim was defeated and the kingship was taken to Awan."

Dynasty of Awan

This was a dynasty from Elam.

Second dynasty of Kish

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

Second dynasty of Uruk

Ruler		Epithet	Length of reign	Approx. dates	Comments
En-shag-kush-ana			60 years	c. 25th century BC	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			120 years		contemporary with Entemena of Lagash
Argandea			7 years
"Then Unug was defeated and the kingship was taken to Urim (Ur)."

Second dynasty of Ur

Dynasty of Adab

Other rulers of Adab are known, besides Lugal-Ane-mundu, but they are not mentioned in the Sumerian King List.

Ruler		Epithet	Length of reign	Approx. dates	Comments
Lugal-Ane-mundu			90 years	c. 25th century BC	Known from other inscriptions. 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

Many rulers are known from Mari, but different names are mentioned in the Sumerian king list.

Third dynasty of Kish

Dynasty of Akshak

Fourth dynasty of Kish

Third dynasty of Uruk

Ruler		Epithet	Length of reign	Approx. dates	Comments
Lugal-zage-si			25 years	c. 2296–2271 BC (short)	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

Ruler		Epithet	Length of reign	Approx. dates	Comments
Sargon of Akkad		"whose father was a gardener, the cupbearer of Ur-Zababa, became king, the king of Agade, who built Agade"	40 years	c. 2270–2215 BC (short)	Defeated Lugal-zage-si of Uruk, took over Sumer, and began the Akkadian Empire
Rimush of Akkad		"the son of Sargon"	9 years	c. 2214–2206 BC (short)
Manishtushu		"the older brother of Rimush, the son of Sargon"	15 years	c. 2205–2191 BC (short)
Naram-Sin of Akkad		"the son of Man-ishtishu"	56 years	c. 2190–2154 BC (short)
Shar-kali-sharri		"the son of Naram-Sin"	25 years	c. 2153–2129 BC (short)
"Then who was king? Who was not the king?"
Irgigi Imi Nanum Ilulu			4 years	c. 2128–2125 BC (short)
Dudu of Akkad			21 years	c. 2125–2104 BC (short)
Shu-Durul		"the son of Dudu"	15 years	c. 2104–2083 BC (short)	Akkad falls to the Gutians
"Then Agade was defeated and the kingship was taken to Unug (Uruk)."

Fourth dynasty of Uruk

(Possibly rulers of lower Mesopotamia contemporary with the Dynasty of Akkad)

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

Ruler		Length of reign	Approx. dates	Comments
"In the army of Gutium, at first no king was famous; they were their own kings and ruled thus for 3 years."
Inkišuš		6 years	c. 2147–2050 BC (short)	Mention of the Gutian dynasty of Sumer in the tablet of Lugalanatum (𒄖𒋾𒌝𒆠, gu-ti-umKI)
Sarlagab (or Zarlagab)		6 years
Shulme (or Yarlagash)		6 years
Elulmeš (or Silulumeš or Silulu)		6 years
Inimabakeš (or Duga)		5 years
Igešauš (or Ilu-An)		6 years
Yarlagab		3 years
Ibate of Gutium		3 years
Yarla (or Yarlangab)		3 years
Kurum		1 year
Apilkin		3 years
La-erabum		2 years		mace head inscription
Irarum		2 years
Ibranum		1 year
Hablum		2 years
Puzur-Suen		7 years		"the son of Hablum"
Yarlaganda		7 years		foundation inscription at Umma
Unknown		7 years		Si'um or Si-u? — foundation inscription at Umma
Tirigan		40 days		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		Epithet	Length of reign	Approx. dates	Comments
Utu-hengal			conflicting dates (427 years / 26 years / 7 years)	c. 2055–2048 BC (short)	defeats Tirigan and the Gutians, appoints Ur-Namma governor of Ur

Third dynasty of Ur

Ruler		Epithet	Length of reign	Approx. dates	Comments
Ur-Namma (Ur-Nammu)		"the son of Utu-Hengal"	18 years	c. 2047–2030 BC (short)	defeats Nammahani of Lagash; contemporary of Utu-hengal of Uruk
Shulgi		"the son of Ur-Namma"	46 years	c. 2029–1982 BC (short)	possible lunar/solar eclipse 2005 BC
Amar-Suena		"the son of Shulgi"	9 years	c. 1981–1973 BC (short)
Shu-Suen		"the son of Amar-Suena"	9 years	c. 1972–1964 BC (short)
Ibbi-Suen		"the son of Shu-Suen"	24 years	c. 1963–1940 BC (short)
"Then Urim was defeated. The very foundation of Sumer was torn out. The kingship was taken to Isin."

Dynasty of 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.

Ruler		Epithet	Length of reign	Approx. dates	Comments
Ishbi-Erra			33 years	c. 1953–1920 BC (short)	contemporary of Ibbi-Suen of Ur
Shu-Ilishu		"the son of Ishbi-Erra"	20 years
Iddin-Dagan		"the son of Shu-ilishu"	20 years
Ishme-Dagan		"the son of Iddin-Dagan"	20 years
Lipit-Eshtar		"the son of Ishme-Dagan (or Iddin-Dagan)"	11 years		contemporary of Gungunum of Larsa
Ur-Ninurta		("the son of Ishkur, may he have years of abundance, a good reign, and a sweet life")*	28 years		Contemporary of Abisare of Larsa
Bur-Suen		"the son of Ur-Ninurta"	21 years
Lipit-Enlil		"the son of Bur-Suen"	5 years
Erra-imitti			8 years		He appointed his gardener, Enlil-Bani, substitute king and then suddenly died.
Enlil-bani			24 years		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			3 years		contemporary of Sin-Iqisham of Larsa
Iter-pisha			4 years
Ur-du-kuga			4 years
Suen-magir			11 years
(Damiq-ilishu)*		("the son of Suen-magir")*	(23 years)*

* These epithets or names are not included in all versions of the king list.

See also

In Spanish: Lista Real Sumeria para niños