| Weld-Blundell Prism | |
|---|---|
.jpg){kind=spacer} Weld-Blundell Prism, with transcription and translation by Stephen Herbert Langdon (1876–1937).[1][2] | |
| Material | Clay |
| Size | 20x9 cm |
| Created | 1800 BCE |
| Discovered | Probably Larsa 31°17′09″N 45°51′13″E / 31.285833°N 45.853611°E |
| Present location | Ashmolean Museum, Oxford |
| Registration | AN1923.444. |
The Weld-Blundell Prism ("WB", dated 1800 BCE) is a clay, cuneiform inscribed vertical prism housed in the Ashmolean Museum.[2] The prism was found in a 1922 expedition in Larsa in modern-day Iraq by British archaeologist Herbert Weld Blundell.[3] The four sides, about 20 cm high and 9 cm wide, are inscribed in the Sumerian language with lists of Sumerian kings; each side contains the text in two columns: this is the famous Sumerian King List. It is considered as the most complete of the Sumerian King Lists which have been found, of which there are approximately 25 more or less complete fragments as of 2016.[2]
The list begins with the antediluvian rulers and ends with Sin-magir of the Isin dynasty (r. 1827–1817). The list was most likely written in Sin-magir's final year, or soon after.[4] Many, especially antediluvian, kings are credited with incredibly long reigns (counted in sars and nerah), as a result of which many scholars consider this work to be more artistic than historical.[3]
Various theories are being constructed in an attempt to explain such large numbers. They are supposed to express the great importance of rulers who were considered demigods. According to another version, sar (3600 years) and ner (600 years), the units of time measurement in the Sumerian number system, should be taken as years and months, respectively.[5]
This text of the Old Babylonian period (Isin dynasty, c.1827–1817 BCE) is inscribed in traditional Sumerian cuneiform.[6]
Contents
edit| # | King | Epithet | Succession | Length of reign | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
| 1st | Alulim | Uncertain (10 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 2nd | .jpg){kind=small}
|
Alalngar | Uncertain (10 years) | |||
| ||||||
| 3rd | En-men-lu-ana | Uncertain (10 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 4th | En-men-gal-ana | Uncertain (10 years) | ||||
| 5th | 
|
Dumuzid | "the shepherd" | Uncertain (10 years) | ||
| ||||||
| 6th | En-sipad-zid-ana | Uncertain (10 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| ||||||
| 7th | En-men-dur-ana | r. c. 2830 – c. 2820 BCE (10 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| ||||||
| 8th | 
|
Ubara-Tutu | r. c. 2820 – c. 2810 BCE (10 years) |
Unclear succession | ||
| ||||||
| ||||||
| 9th | Jushur | r. c. 2900 – c. 2890 BCE (10 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 10th | 
|
Kullassina-bel | r. c. 2890 – c. 2888 BCE (2 years) | |||
| 11th | Nangishlishma | r. c. 2888 – c. 2887 BCE (1 year) | ||||
| 12th | En-tarah-ana | r. c. 2887 – c. 2882 BCE (5 years) | ||||
| 13th | Babum | r. c. 2882 – c. 2875 BCE (7 years) | ||||
| 14th | Puannum | r. c. 2875 – c. 2865 BCE (10 years) | ||||
| 15th | Kalibum | r. c. 2865 – c. 2855 BCE (10 years) | ||||
| 16th | Kalumum | r. c. 2855 – c. 2850 BCE (5 years) | ||||
| 17th | Zuqaqip | r. c. 2850 – c. 2840 BCE (10 years) | ||||
| 18th | Atab | r. c. 2840 – c. 2830 BCE (10 years) | ||||
| 19th | Mashda | r. c. 2830 – c. 2820 BCE (10 years) |
Son of Atab | |||
| 20th | Arwium | r. c. 2820 – c. 2810 BCE (10 years) |
Son of Mashda | |||
| 21st | 
|
Etana | "the shepherd, who ascended to heaven and consolidated all the foreign countries" | r. c. 2810 – c. 2792 BCE (18 years) |
Unclear succession | |
| 22nd | Balih | r. c. 2792 – c. 2780 BCE (12 years) |
Son of Etana | |||
| 23rd | En-me-nuna | r. c. 2780 – c. 2775 BCE (5 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 24th | Melem-Kish | r. c. 2775 – c. 2765 BCE (10 years) |
Sons of En-me-nuna | |||
| 25th | Barsal-nuna | r. c. 2765 – c. 2762 BCE (3 years) | ||||
| 26th | Zamug | r. c. 2762 – c. 2758 BCE (4 years) |
Son of Barsal-nuna | |||
| 27th | Tizqar | r. c. 2758 – c. 2755 BCE (3 years) |
Son of Zamug | |||
| 28th | Ilku | r. c. 2755 – c. 2754 BCE (1 year) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 29th | Iltasadum | r. c. 2754 – c. 2750 BCE (4 years) | ||||
| 30th | .jpg){kind=spacer}
|
Enmebaragesi | "who made the land of Elam submit" | r. c. 2750 – c. 2700 BCE (50 years) |
Unclear succession | |
| 31st | 
|
Aga | r. c. 2700 – c. 2670 BCE (30 years) |
Son of Enmebaragesi | ||
| ||||||
| 32nd | 
|
Meshkiangasher | r. c. 2792 – c. 2775 BCE (17 years) |
Son of Utu | ||
| 33rd | .png){kind=spacer}
|
Enmerkar | "the king of Uruk, who built Uruk" | r. c. 2775 – c. 2725 BCE (50 years) |
Son of Meshkiangasher | |
| 34th | 
|
Lugalbanda | "the shepherd" | r. c. 2725 – c. 2700 BCE (25 years) |
Unclear succession | |
| 35th | 
|
Dumuzid | "the fisherman whose city was Kuara" | r. c. 2700 – c. 2670 BCE (30 years) | ||
| 36th | .jpg){kind=small}
|
Gilgamesh | "whose father was a phantom (?), the lord of Kulaba" | r. c. 2670 – c. 2650 BCE (20 years) |
Son of Lugalbanda (?) | |
| 37th | Ur-Nungal | r. c. 2650 – c. 2620 BCE (30 years) |
Son of Gilgamesh | |||
| 38th | Udul-kalama | r. c. 2620 – c. 2605 BCE (15 years) |
Son of Ur-Nungal | |||
| 39th | La-ba'shum | r. c. 2605 – c. 2596 BCE (9 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 40th | En-nun-tarah-ana | r. c. 2596 – c. 2588 BCE (8 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 41st | Mesh-he | r. c. 2588 – c. 2552 BCE (36 years) | ||||
| 42nd | Melem-ana | r. c. 2552 – c. 2546 BCE (6 years) | ||||
| 43th | Lugal-kitun | r. c. 2546 – c. 2510 BCE (36 years) | ||||
| ||||||
| 44th | 
|
Mesannepada | r. c. 2430 – c. 2420 BCE (10 years) |
Son of Meskalamdug (?) | ||
| 45th | 
|
Meskiagnun | r. c. 2521 – c. 2485 BCE (36 years) |
Son of Mesannepada (?) | ||
| 46th | 
|
Elulu | r. c. 2375 – c. 2350 BCE (25 years) |
Unclear succession | ||
| 47th | 
|
Balulu | r. c. 2350 – c. 2314 BCE (36 years) | |||
| ||||||
| 48th | Unknown | r. c. 2580 – c. 2550 BCE (30 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 49th | [...]-Lu | r. c. 2550 – c. 2536 BCE (14 years) | ||||
| 50th | Kul[...] | r. c. 2536 – c. 2500 BCE (36 years) | ||||
| ||||||
| 51st | Susuda | "the fuller" | r. c. 2500 – c. 2494 BCE (6 years) |
Unclear succession | ||
| 52nd | Dadasig | r. c. 2494 – c. 2489 BCE (5 years) | ||||
| 53rd | Mamagal | "the boatman" | r. c. 2489 – c. 2486 BCE (3 years) | |||
| 54th | Kalbum | r. c. 2486 – c. 2484 BCE (2 years) |
Son of Mamagal | |||
| 55th | Tuge | r. c. 2484 – c. 2481 BCE (3 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 56th | Mennuna | r. c. 2481 – c. 2479 BCE (2 years) |
Son of Tuge | |||
| 57th | Enbi-Ishtar | r. c. 2364 – c. 2360 BCE (4 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 58th | Lugalngu | r. c. 2479 – c. 2477 BCE (2 years) | ||||
| ||||||
| 59th | Hadanish | r. c. 2477 – c. 2470 BCE (7 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| ||||||
| 60th | 
|
Enshakushanna | r. c. 2365 – c. 2347 BCE (18 years) |
Son of Elulu (?) | ||
| 61st | 
|
Lugalkinishedudu | r. c. 2430 – c. 2400 BCE (30 years) |
Unclear succession | ||
| 62nd | Argandea | r. c. 2347 – c. 2340 BCE (7 years) | ||||
| ||||||
| 63rd | Nanni | r. c. 2214 – c. 2160 BCE (54 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 64th | Meskiagnun | r. c. 2160 – c. 2112 BCE (48 years) |
Son of Nanni | |||
| ||||||
| 65th | .jpg){kind=small}
|
Lugal-Anne-Mundu | r. c. 2430 – c. 2340 BCE (90 years) |
Unclear succession | ||
| ||||||
| 66th | Anbu | r. c. 2500 – c. 2470 BCE (30 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 67th | Anba | r. c. 2470 – c. 2453 BCE (17 years) |
Son of Anbu | |||
| 68th | Bazi | "the fuller" | r. c. 2453 – c. 2423 BCE (30 years) |
Unclear succession | ||
| 69th | Zizi | "the leatherworker"" | r. c. 2423 – c. 2403 BCE (20 years) | |||
| 70th | Limer | "the 'gudug' priest" | r. c. 2403 – c. 2373 BCE (30 years) | |||
| 71st | Sharrumiter | r. c. 2373 – c. 2364 BCE (9 years) | ||||
| ||||||
| 72nd | 
|
Kubaba | "the woman tavern-keeper, who made firm the foundations of Kish" | r. c. 2430 – c. 2364 BCE (66 years) |
Unclear succession | |
| ||||||
| 73rd | Unzi | r. c. 2459 – c. 2429 BCE (30 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 74th | Undalulu | r. c. 2429 – c. 2417 BCE (12 years) | ||||
| 75th | Urur | r. c. 2417 – c. 2411 BCE (6 years) | ||||
| 76th | Puzur-Nirah | r. c. 2411 – c. 2391 BCE (20 years) | ||||
| 77th | Ishu-Il | r. c. 2391 – c. 2367 BCE (24 years) | ||||
| 78th | Shu-Suen | r. c. 2367 – c. 2360 BCE (7 years) |
Son of Ishu-Il | |||
| ||||||
| 74th | Puzur-Suen | r. c. 2360 – c. 2340 BCE (20 years) |
Son of Kubaba | |||
| 75th | Ur-Zababa | r. c. 2340 – c. 2334 BCE (6 years) |
Son of Puzur-Suen | |||
| 76th | Zimudar | r. c. 2334 – c. 2304 BCE (30 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 77th | Usiwater | r. c. 2304 – c. 2297 BCE (7 years) |
Son of Zimudar | |||
| 78th | Eshtar-muti | r. c. 2297 – c. 2286 BCE (11 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 79th | Ishme-Shamash | r. c. 2286 – c. 2275 BCE (11 years) | ||||
| 80th | Shu-ilishu | r. c. 2275 – c. 2260 BCE (15 years) | ||||
| 81st | Nanniya | "the jeweller" | r. c. 2260 – c. 2254 BCE (7 years) | |||
| ||||||
| 82nd | 
|
Lugalzagesi | r. c. 2340 – c. 2316 BCE (24 years) |
Son of Ukush | ||
| ||||||
| 83rd | 
|
Sargon | "whose father was a gardener, the cupbearer of Ur-Zababa, became king, the king of Akkad, who built Akkad" | r. c. 2334 – c. 2279 BCE (55 years) |
Son of La'ibum | |
| 84th | .jpg){kind=small}
|
Rimush | r. c. 2279 – c. 2270 BCE (9 years) |
Sons of Sargon | ||
| 85th | 
|
Manishtushu | r. c. 2270 – c. 2255 BCE (15 years) | |||
| 86th | .jpg){kind=small}
|
Naram-Suen | r. c. 2255 – c. 2218 BCE (37 years) |
Son of Manishtushu | ||
| 87th | 
|
Sharkalisharri | r. c. 2218 – c. 2193 BCE (25 years) |
Son of Naram-Suen | ||
| 88th | Igigi | r. c. 2193 – c. 2192 BCE (≤1 year) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 89th | Imi | r. c. 2192 – c. 2191 BCE (≤1 year) | ||||
| 90th | Nanum | r. c. 2191 – c. 2190 BCE (≤1 year) | ||||
| 91st | Ilulu | r. c. 2190 – c. 2189 BCE (≤1 year) | ||||
| 92nd | .jpg){kind=spacer}
|
Dudu | r. c. 2189 – c. 2168 BCE (21 years) | |||
| 93rd | 
|
Shu-turul | r. c. 2168 – c. 2154 BCE (14 years) |
Son of Dudu | ||
| ||||||
| 94th | Ur-nigin | r. c. 2154 – c. 2147 BCE (7 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 95th | Ur-gigir | r. c. 2147 – c. 2141 BCE (6 years) |
Son of Ur-nigin | |||
| 96th | Kuda | r. c. 2141 – c. 2135 BCE (6 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 97th | Puzur-ili | r. c. 2135 – c. 2130 BCE (5 years) | ||||
| 98th | Ur-Utu | r. c. 2130 – c. 2124 BCE (6 years) |
Son of Ur-gigir | |||
| ||||||
| ||||||
| 99th | 
|
Inkishush | r. c. 2208 – c. 2202 BCE (6 years) |
Unclear succession | ||
| 100th | Sarlagab | r. c. 2202 – c. 2196 BCE (6 years) | ||||
| 101st | Shulme | r. c. 2196 – c. 2190 BCE (6 years) | ||||
| 102nd | Elulmesh | r. c. 2190 – c. 2184 BCE (6 years) | ||||
| 103rd | Inimabakesh | r. c. 2184 – c. 2179 BCE (5 years) | ||||
| 104th | Igeshaush | r. c. 2179 – c. 2173 BCE (6 years) | ||||
| 105th | Yarlagab | r. c. 2173 – c. 2158 BCE (15 years) | ||||
| 106th | Ibate | r. c. 2158 – c. 2155 BCE (3 years) | ||||
| 107th | Yarla | r. c. 2155 – c. 2152 BCE (3 years) | ||||
| 108th | Kurum | r. c. 2152 – c. 2151 BCE (1 year) | ||||
| 109th | Apilkin | r. c. 2151 – c. 2148 BCE (3 years) | ||||
| 110th | 
|
La-erabum | r. c. 2148 – c. 2146 BCE (2 years) | |||
| 111th | Irarum | r. c. 2146 – c. 2144 BCE (2 years) | ||||
| 112th | Ibranum | r. c. 2144 – c. 2143 BCE (1 year) | ||||
| 113th | Hablum | r. c. 2143 – c. 2141 BCE (2 years) | ||||
| 114th | Puzur-Suen | r. c. 2141 – c. 2134 BCE (7 years) |
Son of Hablum | |||
| 115th | Yarlaganda | r. c. 2134 – c. 2127 BCE (7 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 116th | 
|
Siium | r. c. 2127 – c. 2120 BCE (7 years) | |||
| 117th | _on_the_Victory_Stele_of_Utu-Hengal.jpg){kind=small}
|
Tirigan | r. c. 2120 – c. 2119 BCE (40 days) | |||
| ||||||
| 118th | .jpg){kind=spacer}
|
Utu-hengal | r. c. 2119 – c. 2112 BCE (7 years) |
Unclear succession | ||
| ||||||
| 119th | 
|
Ur-Nammu | r. c. 2112 – c. 2094 BCE (18 years) |
Unclear succession | ||
| 120th | 
|
Shulgi | r. c. 2094 – c. 2046 BCE (48 years) |
Son of Ur-Nammu | ||
| 121st | 
|
Amar-Suen | r. c. 2046 – c. 2037 BCE (9 years) |
Son of Shulgi | ||
| 122nd | .jpg){kind=small}
|
Shu-Suen | r. c. 2037 – c. 2028 BCE (9 years) |
Son of Amar-Suen | ||
| 123rd | 
|
Ibbi-Suen | r. c. 2028 – c. 2004 BCE (24 years) |
Son of Shu-Suen | ||
| ||||||
| 124th | 
|
Ishbi-Erra | r. c. 2018 – c. 1985 BCE (33 years) |
Unclear succession | ||
| 125th | 
|
Shu-Ilishu | r. c. 1985 – c. 1975 BCE (10 years) |
Son of Ishbi-Erra | ||
| 126th | 
|
Iddin-Dagan | r. c. 1975 – c. 1954 BCE (21 years) |
Son of Shu-Ilishu | ||
| 127th | 
|
Ishme-Dagan | r. c. 1954 – c. 1934 BCE (20 years) |
Son of Iddin-Dagan | ||
| 128th | 
|
Lipit-Ishtar | r. c. 1934 – c. 1923 BCE (11 years) |
Son of Ishme-Dagan | ||
| 129th | Ur-Ninurta | "the son of Ishkur, may he have years of abundance, a good reign, and a sweet life" | r. c. 1923 – c. 1895 BCE (28 years) |
Unclear succession | ||
| 130th | 
|
Bur-Suen | r. c. 1895 – c. 1874 BCE (21 years) |
Son of Ur-Ninurta | ||
| 131th | Lipit-Enlil | r. c. 1874 – c. 1869 BCE (5 years) |
Son of Bur-Suen | |||
| 132th | Erra-imitti | r. c. 1869 – c. 1861 BCE (8 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 133th | Ikūn-pî-Ištar | r. c. 1861 BCE (6 months) | ||||
| 134th | Enlil-bani | r. c. 1861 – c. 1837 BCE (24 years) |
Gardener of Erra-imitti | |||
| 135th | Zambiya | r. c. 1837 – c. 1834 BCE (3 years) |
Unclear succession | |||
| 136th | Iter-pisha | r. c. 1834 – c. 1830 BCE (4 years) | ||||
| 137th | Ur-du-kuga | r. c. 1830 – c. 1826 BCE (4 years) | ||||
| 138th | Suen-magir | r. c. 1826 – c. 1815 BCE (11 years) | ||||
| 139th | .jpg){kind=small}
|
Damiq-ilishu | r. c. 1815 – c. 1792 BCE (23 years) |
Son of Suen-magir | ||
Gallery
edit-
The Weld-Blundell Prism in the Ashmolean Museum. -
.jpg)
See also
editReferences
editNotes
editCitations
edit- ^ Langdon, S. (1923). The Weld-Blundell Collection, vol. II. Historical Inscriptions, Containing Principally the Chronological Prism, W-B. 444 (PDF). OXFORD EDITIONS OF CUNEIFORM TEXTS. pp. 8–21.
- ^ a b c Milstein, Sara Jessica (2016). Tracking the Master Scribe: Revision Through Introduction in Biblical and Mesopotamian Literature. Oxford University Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-19-020539-3.
- ^ a b "Weld-Blundell Prism". University of Oxford - Ashmolean Museum.
- ^ Van De Mieroop, Marc (2016). A History of the Ancient Near East (3rd ed.). Oxford: Wiley Blackwell. p. 47.
- ^ "Kingdoms of Mesopotamia - Sumer". The History Files.
- ^ Chrisomalis, Stephen (15 December 2020). Reckonings: Numerals, Cognition, and History. MIT Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-262-04463-9.
Sources
editBibliography
editJournals
editExternal links
edit- Information on the Ashmolean Museum's website
- "The Sumerian king list: translation". etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2008-05-08.
- Langdon, Stephen Herbert (1923). Oxford editions of cuneiform texts - The Weld-Blundell Collection, vol. II. Historical Inscriptions, Containing Principally the Chronological Prism, W-B. 444 (PDF). Oxford University Press. pp. 1–27, Plates I-IV.
- "CDLI-Archival View". cdli.ucla.edu.
Further reading
editGeography
editLanguage
edit- Black, Jeremy Allen; Baines, John Robert; Dahl, Jacob L.; Van De Mieroop, Marc. Cunningham, Graham; Ebeling, Jarle; Flückiger-Hawker, Esther; Robson, Eleanor; Taylor, Jon; Zólyomi, Gábor (eds.). "ETCSL: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature". Faculty of Oriental Studies (revised ed.). United Kingdom. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL), a project of the University of Oxford, comprises a selection of nearly 400 literary compositions recorded on sources which come from ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) and date to the late third and early second millennia BCE.
- Renn, Jürgen; Dahl, Jacob L.; Lafont, Bertrand; Pagé-Perron, Émilie (2022) [1998]. "CDLI: Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative" (published 1998–2022). Retrieved 2022-09-23.
Images presented online by the research project Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI) are for the non-commercial use of students, scholars, and the public. Support for the project has been generously provided by the Mellon Foundation, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (ILMS), and by the Max Planck Society (MPS), Oxford and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); network services are from UCLA's Center for Digital Humanities.
- Sjöberg, Åke Waldemar; Leichty, Erle; Tinney, Steve (2022) [2003]. "PSD: The Pennsylvania Sumerian Dictionary" (published 2003–2022). Retrieved 2022-09-23.
The Pennsylvania Sumerian Dictionary Project (PSD) is carried out in the Babylonian Section of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology. It is funded by the NEH and private contributions. [They] work with several other projects in the development of tools and corpora. [Two] of these have useful websites: the CDLI and the ETCSL.