Over the years, in numerous regions of ancient Mesopotamia, scholars have discovered tablets
with one of the most ancient manuscripts ever to exist. It is called the Sumerian King List.
It details how in the distant past our planet was
ruled by eight mysterious kings over a period of 241,000 years.
The list itself literally says, "After the kingdom came down from heaven,
the kingdom was in Eridu," and tells the incredible story of the reign. In the record,
it is noted "In 5 cities 8 kings. They ruled for 241,200 years. Then the flood came in.”
But how is it possible for eight kings to rule the earth for 241,000 years?
Also, not only does the Sumerian King List state how long they ruled on Earth,
it specifically says that they "came down from heaven."
The list details how these kings met their end during the Great
Flood that swept the Earth and goes on to detail what happens after that - 'another
kingdom is sent down from heaven' and these mysterious kings once again rule over man."
But is the Sumerian King List a mix of historically verifiable
rulers and mythological creatures? Or have scholars simply categorized
some of them as mythological because of their particular characteristics?
For decades, people believed that the history described in
the Sumerian King List was simply a collection of mythological accounts.
Today, more authors and researchers disagree,
suggesting that the contents of the List may not be mythology at all, pointing to the fact
that scholars already partially recognize some of the kings detailed in the List.
Is it possible that what is recorded in the List is an actual historical reference?
Could it be that thousands of years before modern history, our planet was ruled by
kings from another world who came to Earth from a distant place in the universe to rule over us?
Do you allow for the possibility that these long reigns were possible at a
time when civilization, society, and our planet were much different than today?
If you are still in doubt, here is the time to note that the earliest listed
ruler is today an archaeologically confirmed historical figure.
This is Enmebaragesi from Kish. He is the penultimate king of the first
dynasty of Kish and is recorded as having reigned for 900 years. Died around 2700 BC.
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The Sumerian King List, also known as the Chronicle of the Sole Monarchy,
is an ancient literary composition written in Sumerian,
probably created to legitimize the claims to power of various city-states and kingdoms in
southern Mesopotamia during the late third and early second millennium BC. .no. It does so by
repeatedly listing Sumerian cities, the kings who ruled there, and the length of their reigns.
In the early part of the list, these reigns often span thousands of years.
The oldest known version is dated to the Ur III period around 2112 – 2004
BC. , but was probably composed based on much older Akkadian source material.
In its best-known and best-preserved version, the list begins with a series
of antediluvian kings who ruled before the flood covered the earth,
after which the kingdom was restored to Kish. It ends with the Yixin dynasty of
the early second millennium BC, which is well known from other contemporary sources.
It should also be noted that what is commonly referred to as the Sumerian King List is not a
single text. Rather, it is a literary composition of various versions that existed over time.
All the sources found are in the form of clay tablets or cylinders and are written in
Sumerian. 16 different tablets or fragments containing parts of the text are known.
Most of them were found in various places in Mesopotamia. Most are found in Nippur.
There is only one manuscript that contains an almost intact version of
the composition. This is the Weld-Blundell prism,
which includes the antediluvian part of the composition and ends with the Isin dynasty.
What does the Sumerian King List contain?
Lines 1–39: before the flood This section begins with the
line "After the kingdom came down from heaven, the kingdom was in Eridu." Two kings of Eridu
are mentioned before the city "fell" and "royalty was taken at Bad-Tibira". This pattern of cities
gaining a kingdom and then falling or being defeated, only to be succeeded by the next, is
present throughout the text. Remarkably, this is almost always described in exactly the same words.
This section mentions eight kings who ruled over five cities. The length of each reign
is also indicated, and they vary between 43,200 and 28,800 years for a total of 241,200 years.
The section ends with the line "Then the flood came."
Among the kings mentioned in this section is the ancient Mesopotamian god Dumuzid.
Lines 40–265: the first dynasty of Kish to Lugal-zage-si
“After the flood came and the kingdom came down from heaven again, the kingdom was in Kish.”
After this well-known line, the section continues with a list of 23 kings of Kish
who ruled for shorter periods, between 1500 and 300 years for a total of 24 510 years.
Apart from the length of their reigns and whether they were sons of their predecessors,
no other details are mentioned about them. The exceptions are Etana, "who ascended to heaven
and consolidated all foreign countries" and Enmebaragesi, "who made the land of
the Elamites". Enmebaragesi is also the first king in the Sumerian King List whose name is
attested in contemporary records. His successor Aga of Kish, the last king mentioned before Kish
fell and the kingdom was taken by E-anna, also appears in the poem Gilgamesh and Aga.
The next lines, up to Sargon of Akkad, show a constant succession of cities and kings,
usually without much detail beyond the length of individual reigns. Each entry is structured the
same way: the city where the kingdom is located is recorded, followed by the kings and how long
they reigned, followed by a brief summary and a final line indicating where the kingdom was next.
An apt example of this is found in Lines 134 to 147:
At Ur Messanepada becomes king; he ruled for 80 years. Meskiagnun, the son of Messanepada,
became king; he ruled for 36 years. Elulu ruled for 25 years. Balulu ruled for 36 years. 4 kings;
ruled for 171 years. Then Ur was defeated and the kingdom was taken from Avan.
Individual reigns range in length from 1,200 years for Lugalbanda of Uruk to six years for another
Uruk king and several Akshak kings. The number of years in office decreases as we go down the list.
The earlier part of this section mentions several kings who are also
known from other literary sources. These are Dumuzid the Fisherman and Gilgamesh,
although virtually no kings from the earlier part of this section appear in records dating from the
actual period in which they are supposed to have lived. Lines 211–223 describe a dynasty from Mari,
which was a city outside of Sumer itself but played an important role in the history of
Mesopotamia during the late third and early second millennium BCE. The subsequent Third Dynasty of
Kish consisted of a single ruler Kug-Bau "the woman tavern keeper" who is believed to be
the only queen included in the Sumerian King List. The last 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 a cupbearer to Ur-zababa of Kish,
and he defeated Lugal-zage-si of Uruk before establishing his own dynasty.
Lines 266–377: Akkad to Isin
This section is dedicated to the famous Akkadian ruler Sargon and his successors. After the record
of Shar-kali-sharri, the Sumerian King List reads “Then who was king? Who was not king?”
suggesting a period of chaos and uncertain times during which the Akkadian Empire came to an end.
Four kings are mentioned as ruling for a total of only three years. Of the Akkadian kings mentioned
after Shar-kali-shari, only the names of Dudu and Shu-turul are attested in records dating
from the Akkadian period. The Akkadian dynasty was succeeded by the Fourth Dynasty of Uruk,
two kings of which, Ur-nigin and his son Ur-gigir, appear in other contemporary records.
The kingship was then taken to the "land" or "army" of Gutium, who were said to have had no
kings at first and to have ruled alone for several years. After this brief episode, 21 Guthian kings
are listed before the fall of Guthium and the kingdom was taken to Uruk. Only one ruler is
named during this reign period, Utu-hegal before he moved to Ur. The so-called Third Dynasty of Ur
consisted of 5 kings who ruled between 9 and 46 years. No other details are given. The list notes
that once the rule of Ur was removed, "the very foundation of Sumer was torn apart." The Kings
of Yisin are the last dynasty to be listed. It consisted of 14 kings who ruled between 3 and
33 years. As with the Ur III dynasty, no details are given about the reigns of individual kings.
Lines 378–431: are summary
This summary mentions the number of kings and their accumulated years of reign for each city,
as well as the number of times that city received a kingship.
What worries scholars most today is the inability to explain the reigns of any
of the most ancient rulers with anything that fits our commonly accepted norms.
Although a large part of these kings are also heroes of the ancient Sumerian and
Babylonian legends and epics, they remain denied by our science as being mythological.
Many researchers are trying to find an explanation for these long reigns,
such as the hypothesis that these figures were a kind of hyperbole expressing the power,
triumph, or importance of the people, for which they relate to.
For example, in Ancient Egypt the phrase “He died at the age of 110
" referred to those who lived full lives and gave an important contribution to society.
According to historians, people used such "terms" as a reward to their
rulers for their unlimited power and the importance of what they did for the state.
Another hypothesis claims that the system of counting time before and
after the flood changed and therefore the reigns became shorter and shorter.
The last reigns described in the list, however, are generally
accepted as historically real, having been proven by existing archaeological finds.
History knows many hypotheses related to antiquity, which were
denied by scientists as impossible, but over time indisputable artifacts
have refuted them. Only time will tell whether this case is the same.
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