Sumerian King List
The ancient list that hands kingship down from heaven, mixing antediluvian reigns of tens of thousands of years with verifiable dynasties.
Core Characteristics
- Preserved in copies from about 2000 BC onward; kingship, it states, "descended from heaven".
- Eight kings before the Flood reigned enormous spans at Eridu, Bad-tibira, Larak, Sippar and Shuruppak.
- After Kish the reigns shorten toward history, making the list a bridge between myth and chronicle.
Related Concepts & Sources
Sumerian, Divine Kingship, Etana Myth