Sumerian king list

Ancient Mesopotamia
Euphrates – Tigris
Assyriology
Cities / empires
Sumer: Uruk – Ur – Eridu
Kish – Lagash – Nippur
Akkadian Empire: Agade
Babylon – Isin – Susa
Assyria: Assur – Nineveh
Nuzi – Nimrud
Babylonia – Chaldea –
Elam – Amorites
Hurrians – Mitanni – Kassites
Chronology
Kings of Sumer
Kings of Assyria
Kings of Babylon
Language
Cuneiform script
Sumerian – Akkadian
Elamite – Hurrian
Mythology
Enûma Elish
Gilgamesh – Marduk
Nibiru
 
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The Sumerian king list is an ancient text in the Sumerian language listing kings of Sumer from Sumerian and foreign dynasties. The later Babylonian king list and Assyrian king list were similar. The list records the location of the "official" kingship and the rulers, with the lengths of their rule. The kingship was believed to be handed down by the gods and could be passed from one city to another by military conquest. The list mentions only one female ruler: Kug-Baba, the tavern-keeper, who alone accounts for the third dynasty of Kish.

The list peculiarly blends from ante-diluvian, probably mythological kings with impossibly long reigns, into clearly historical dynasties. It cannot be ruled out that even the earliest names in the list correspond to historical rulers who later became mythological figures.

The first name on the list whose existence has been authenticated through recent archaeological discoveries, is that of Enmebaragesi of Kish, whose name is also mentioned in the Gilgamesh epics. This has led some to suggest that Gilgamesh himself was a historical king of Uruk, and not just a legendary one.

Conspicuously absent from this list are the priest-rulers of Lagash, who are known directly from inscriptions from ca. the 25th century BC. Another early ruler in the list who is clearly historical is Lugal-Zage-Si of Uruk of the 23rd century BC, who conquered Lagash, and who was in turn conquered by Sargon of Akkad.

The list is central, for lack of a more accurate source, for the chronology of the 3rd millennium BC. However, in addition to the sometimes unrealistic durations of reigns, the numbers cannot simply be added because the dynasties presented to have reigned in succession, with the kingship passing from city to city, more likely reigned simultaneously, with each dynasty ruling its own city. For this reason, Common Era dates of early rulers given in older publications are often given as considerably more recent today. Uncertainty especially as to the duration of the Gutian period also makes dates for events predating the Third dynasty of Ur (21st century BC) with any accuracy nearly impossible (see also Shulgi, Ur-Nammu).

Contents
1 Early Dynastic I
2 Early Dynastic II

2.1 First Dynasty of Kish
2.2 First Dynasty of Uruk
2.3 First dynasty of Ur

3 Early Dynastic III

3.1 Awan
3.2 Second Dynasty Kish
3.3 Hamazi
3.4 Second Dynasty of Uruk
3.5 Second Dynasty of Ur
3.6 Adab
3.7 Mari
3.8 Third Dynasty of Kish
3.9 Akshak
3.10 Fourth Dynasty of Kish
3.11 Third Dynasty of Uruk

4 Akkad

4.1 Fourth Dynasty of Uruk

5 Gutian period

5.1 Uruk

6 Third dynasty of Ur

6.1 Dynasty of Isin

7 See also
8 External links and references

Early Dynastic I

Ante-diluvian kings, legendary, or earlier than ca. the 26th century BC.

"After the kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in Eridug. In Eridug, Alulim became king; he ruled for 28800 years."

Early Dynastic II

Mythological kings, or kings of ca. the 26th century BC. Many rulers known from contemporary inscriptions are not found in the King Lists.

"After the flood had swept over, and the kingship had descended from heaven, the kingship was in Kish."

First Dynasty of Kish

Then Kish was defeated and the kingship was taken to E-ana.

First Dynasty of Uruk

Mesh-ki-ang-gasher went into the Sea and disappeared.

Then Unug was defeated and the kingship was taken to Urim.

First dynasty of Ur

ca. 25th century BC

Then Urim was defeated and the kingship was taken to Awan.

Early Dynastic III

The 1st Dynasty of Lagash is well known from inscriptions, though not mentioned in the King List.

Awan

Then Awan was defeated and the kingship was taken to Kish.

Second Dynasty Kish

Then Kish was defeated and the kingship was taken to Hamazi.

Hamazi

Then Hamazi was defeated and the kingship was taken to Unug.

Second Dynasty of Uruk

Then Unug was defeated and the kingship was taken to Urim.

Second Dynasty of Ur

Then Urim was defeated and the kingship was taken to Adab.

Adab

Then Adab was defeated and the kingship was taken to Mari.

Mari

Then Mari was defeated and the kingship was taken to Kish.

Third Dynasty of Kish

(the only woman in the King Lists)

Then Kish was defeated and the kingship was taken to Akshak.

Akshak

Then Akshak was defeated and the kingship was taken to Kish.

Fourth Dynasty of Kish

Then Kish was defeated and the kingship was taken to Unug.

Third Dynasty of Uruk

(2259 BC–2235 BC short chronology) defeated Lagash.

Akkad

(ca. 2235 BC short chronology)

Then who was king? Who was the king?

Then Agade was defeated and the kingship was taken to Unug.

Fourth Dynasty of Uruk

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

Unug was defeated and the kingship was taken to the army of Gutium.

Gutian period

In the army of Gutium, at first no king was famous; they were their own kings and ruled thus for 3 years

Uruk

drives out the Gutians

Third dynasty of Ur

"Sumerian Renaissance"

ruled ca. 2065 BC–2047 BC short chronology.
ruled ca. 2047 BC–1999 BC short chronology.

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 ends at ca. 1730 BC short chronology.

There are 11 cities, cities in which the kingship was exercised. A total of 134 kings, who altogether ruled for 28876 + X years.

See also

External links and references

See also: Sumerian king list, 1995, 2047 BC, 21st century BC, 2235 BC, 23rd century BC, 25th century BC, 26th century BC, 3rd millennium BC