The Sumerian King List still puzzles

historians after more than a century of

research
30 JANUARY, 2014

Out of the many incredible artefacts that have been

recovered from sites in Iraq where flourishing
Sumerian cities once stood, few have been more
intriguing than the Sumerian King List, an ancient
manuscript originally recorded in the Sumerian
language, listing kings of Sumer (ancient southern Iraq)
from Sumerian and neighbouring dynasties, their
supposed reign lengths, and the locations of "official"
kingship. What makes this artefact so unique is the fact
that the list blends apparently mythical pre-dynastic
rulers with historical rulers who are known to have
existed.
The first fragment of this rare and unique text, a 4,000-
year-old cuneiform tablet, was found in the early 1900s
by German-American scholar Hermann Hilprecht at the
site of ancient Nippur and published in 1906. Since
Hilprechts discovery, at least 18 other exemplars of the
kings list have been found, most of them dating from
the second half of the Isin dynasty (c. 2017-1794
BCE.). No two of these documents are identical.
However, there is enough common material in all
versions of the list to make it clear that they are derived
from a single, "ideal" account of Sumerian history.
Among all the examples of the Sumerian King List, the
Weld-Blundell prism in the Ashmolean Museum
cuneiform collection in Oxford represents the most
extensive version as well as the most complete copy of
the King List. The 8-inch-high prism contains four
sides with two columns on each side. It is believed that
it originally had a wooden spindle going through its
centre so that it could be rotated and read on all four
sides. It lists rulers from the antediluvian (before the
flood) dynasties to the fourteenth ruler of the Isin dynasty (ca. 17631753 BC).
The list is of immense value because it reflects very old traditions while at the same time
providing an important chronological framework relating to the different periods of kingship in
Sumeria, and even demonstrates remarkable parallels to accounts in Genesis.

The ancient civilisation of Sumer

Sumer (sometimes called Sumeria), is the site of the earliest known civilization, located in the
southernmost part of Mesopotamia between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers, in the area that
later became Babylonia and is now southern Iraq from around Baghdad to the Persian Gulf.
By the 3rd millennium BC, Sumer was the site of at least twelve separate city
states: Kish, Erech, Ur,Sippar, Akshak, Larak, Nippur, Adab, Umma, Lagash, Bad-tibira,
and Larsa. Each of these states comprised a walled city and its surrounding villages and land,
and each worshiped its own deity, whose temple was the central structure of the city. Political
power originally belonged to the citizens, but, as rivalry between the various city-states
increased, each adopted the institution of kingship.
The Sumerian King List, records that eight kings reigned before a great flood. After the Flood,
various city-states and their dynasties of kings temporarily gained power over the others.

Sumers mythical past

The Sumerian King List begins with the very origin of kingship, which is seen as a divine
institution: the kingship had descended from heaven. The rulers in the earliest dynasties are
represented as reigning fantastically long periods:
After the kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in Eridug. In Eridug, Alulim became
king; he ruled for 28800 years. Alaljar ruled for 36000 years. 2 kings; they ruled for 64800
years.
Some of the rulers mentioned in the early list, such as Etana, Lugal-banda and Gilgamesh, are
mythical or legendary figures whose heroic feats are subjects of a series of Sumerian and
Babylonian narrative compositions.
The early list names eight kings with a total of 241,200 years from the time when kingship
descended from heaven to the time when "the Flood" swept over the land and once more "the
kingship was lowered from heaven" after the Flood.

Interpretation of long reigns

The amazingly long tenure of the early kings has provoked many attempts at interpretation. At
one extreme is the complete dismissal of the astronomically large figures as completely
artificial and the view that they are unworthy of serious consideration. At the other extreme, is
the belief that the numbers have a basis in reality and that the early kings were indeed gods who
were capable of living much longer than humans.
In between the two extremes is the hypothesis that the figures represent relative power, triumph
or importance. For example, in ancient Egypt, the phrase he died aged 110 referred to
someone who lived life to the full and who offered an important contribution to society. In the
same way, the extremely long periods of reign of the early kings may represent how incredibly
important they were perceived as being in the eyes of the people. This doesnt explain, however,
why the periods of tenure later switched to realistic time periods.
Related to this perspective is the belief that although the early kings are historically unattested,
this does not preclude their possible correspondence with historical rulers who were later
mythicized.
Finally, some scholars have sought to explain the figures through a mathematical investigation
and interpretation (e.g. Harrison, 1993).

Relation to Genesis
Some scholars (e.g. Wood, 2003) have drawn attention to the fact that there are remarkable
similarities between the Sumerian King List and accounts in Genesis. For example, Genesis tells
the story of the great flood and Noahs efforts to save all the species of animals on Earth from
destruction. Likewise, in the Sumerian King List, there is discussion of a great deluge: the
flood swept over the earth.
The Sumerian King List provides a list of eight kings (some versions have 10) who reigned for
long periods of time before the flood, ranging from 18,600 to 43,200 years. This is similar to
Genesis 5, where the generations from Creation to the Flood are recorded. Interestingly, between
Adam and Noah there are eight generations, just as there are eight kings between the beginning
of kingship and the flood in the Sumerian King List.
After the flood, the King List records kings who ruled for much shorter periods of time. Thus,
the Sumerian King List not only documents a great flood early in mans history, but it also
reflects the same pattern of decreasing longevity as found in the Bible - men had extremely long
life spans before the flood and much shorter life spans following the flood (Wood, 2003).
The Sumerian King List truly is a perplexing mystery. Why would the Sumerians combine
mythical rulers with actual historical rulers in one document? Why are there so many similarities
with Genesis? Why were ancient kings described as ruling for thousands of years? These are just
some of the questions that still remain unanswered after more than a century of research.

By April Holloway

References
The Sumerian King List University of Oxford
Great Discoveries in Biblical Archaeology: The Sumerian King List by Bryant G. Wood
The Sumerian king list: translation - The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature
The Sumerian King List - by L.C. Geerts
Reinvestigating the Antediluvian Sumerian King List by R. K. Harrison
The Sumerian King List by Thorkild Jacobsen (The Oriental Institute of the University of
California)

From: http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-asia/sumerian-king-list-still-puzzles-historians-after-
more-century-research-001287?nopaging=1

Translation of the Kings list: http://www.livius.org/sources/content/anet/266-the-sumerian-king-list/