Sumerian King List
Also known as: SKL, Weld-Blundell Prism, List of Sumerian Kings, The King List
A schematic chronicle of kingship “descending from heaven,” listing antediluvian and postdiluvian dynasties by city from Eridu to Isin, with reign lengths and transfers of rule shaped to assert legitimate succession.
Description
The Sumerian King List assembles a sequence of rulers and dynasties, beginning with mythic antediluvian kings of extraordinary lifespans and continuing through historical polities. It frames political authority as a divinely conferred institution that periodically shifts from city to city—Kish, Uruk, Ur, Awan, Akkad, Gutium, and others—often at moments of crisis such as the Flood or foreign domination. Recensions combine legendary figures (e.g., Alulim, Etana, Gilgamesh) with historically attested kings (e.g., Enmebaragesi, Sargon, Shulgi), compressing complex eras into a linear succession. Ideologically, the list legitimizes contemporary rule by portraying an unbroken chain of kingship under divine sanction, while its variant manuscripts reveal changing political needs and scribal traditions.
Historiography
Preserved in multiple manuscripts, most famously the four-sided Old Babylonian clay prism WB 444 (Ashmolean Museum). Earlier and later copies attest to evolving recensions that added, omitted, or reordered dynasties to reflect shifting hegemonies. Scholars often situate a major redaction in the late Ur III–early Isin milieu, where the text supported claims of continuity after the fall of Ur. The list influenced Mesopotamian historiography and scribal education, blending mythic prehistory with selective historical memory.
Date Notes
Composite work with multiple recensions; best-preserved Old Babylonian versions include the Weld-Blundell Prism (WB 444). Likely redactional activity from late Ur III into early Isin period.
Major Characters
- Alulim
- Alalngar
- En-men-lu-ana
- En-men-gal-ana
- Dumuzid the Shepherd
- Enmebaragesi
- Gilgamesh
- Lugalzagesi
Myths
- Antediluvian Kingship
- The Flood and Transfer of Kingship
- Longevities of the First Kings
- Rise of Akkad
Facts
- Frames kingship as a divinely conferred institution that transfers between cities.
- Combines legendary rulers with historically attested kings in one linear sequence.
- Includes a Flood dividing antediluvian and postdiluvian eras.
- Exaggerated lifespans of early kings mark mythic prehistory.
- Key manuscript is the Old Babylonian Weld-Blundell Prism (WB 444) in the Ashmolean Museum.
- Likely received major redaction in the late Ur III–early Isin period to legitimize new hegemony.
- Lists dynasties in cities such as Kish, Uruk, Ur, Awan, Akkad, Gutium, and Isin.
- Earliest historically attested name in the list is Enmebaragesi of Kish.
- Queen Kubaba (Kug-Bau) appears as a rare female sovereign in the Kish sequence.
- Later Mesopotamian historiography and education reused and adapted the list’s structure.