Patriarchs and Kings The Genesis 5 Patriarchs and the Sumerian King List Is There a Commonality? Pertinent Points . The Sumerian King List contains pre-flood and post-flood kings who (presumably) ruled in southern Mesopotamia from no earlier than 4800 BC to roughly 2000 BC. Seventeen copies have been discovered. Many of the kings are non-Sumerian. Until 2371 BC the official language was Sumerian then became Semitic Akkadian. Pertinent Points . Most Near East historians find Sumerians interesting and act as if no other people group was important. Historians avoid any mention of Bible personalities – especially Adam and Noah. Theologians concentrate on biblical characters and events and proceed as if the nearby Sumerians didn’t exist. Pertinent Points • Historians do accommodate a people group who spoke a Semitic tongue and lived in the same region with the Sumerians. They also recognize Semites. They do not recognize Adamites! Maybe all Akkadians stem from Adam. Or it may be that Adamites comprised only some of the Akkadian population. Akkadians may contain Ubaidan elements. And some Akkadians may have married Sumerians. Pertinent Points • Dated to 4800 BC the oldest city, Eridu, was excavated in 1941-42. Pottery fragments discovered at the bottom were identified as Ubaid with an unidentified pottery they called “Eridu ware.” • Although Ubaid pottery had been found in settlements further north dated to an earlier period, this new pottery may be indicative of an Adamite population that moved in. Relevant Time Periods in the Near East Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) 20,000 to 10,000 years ago. Natufian 10,000 to 8000 BC Neolithic (New Stone Age) 8000 to 5000 BC Hassuna 6000 to 5250 BC Samarra, Halaf, Eridu 5500 to 4700 BC - Adam, Ubaid 4500 to 3500 BC - Cain, Seth Uruk (Erech, Enoch) 3500 to 3100 BC - Noah Jemdet Nasr 3100 to 2900 BC - Flood Early Dynastic (Bronze Age) 2900 to 2370 BC - Shem to Peleg Sumer and Accad 2500 to 2000 BC - Tower of Babel Old Babylonia, Larsa 2000 to 1600 BC - Abraham Cassite, early Assyrian (Iron Age) 1600 to 911 BC Assyrian 911 to 612 BC Neo Babylonian 625 to 539 BC Relevant Time Periods in the Near East Eridu 5500 to 4700 BC - Adam Ubaid 4500 to 3500 BC - Cain, Seth Uruk (Erech) 3500 to 3100 BC - Noah Jemdet Nasr 3100 to 2900 BC - Flood Early Dynastic 2900 to 2370 BC - Shem to Peleg Sumer and Accad 2500 to 2000 BC - Babel Old Babylonia 2000 to 1600 BC - Abraham Relevant Time Periods in the Near East Eridu 5500 to 4700 BC - Adam Ubaid 4500 to 3500 BC - Cain, Seth Uruk (Erech) 3500 to 3100 BC - Noah Jemdet Nasr 3100 to 2900 BC - Flood Early Dynastic 2900 to 2370 BC - Shem to Peleg Sumer and Accad 2500 to 2000 BC - Babel Old Babylonia 2000 to 1600 BC - Abraham Relevant Time Periods in the Near East Eridu 5500 to 4700 BC - Adam Ubaid 4500 to 3500 BC - Cain, Seth Uruk (Erech) 3500 to 3100 BC - Noah Jemdet Nasr 3100 to 2900 BC - Flood Early Dynastic 2900 to 2370 BC - Shem to Peleg Sumer and Accad 2500 to 2000 BC - Babel Old Babylonia 2000 to 1600 BC - Abraham Relevant Time Periods in the Near East Eridu 5500 to 4700 BC - Adam Ubaid 4500 to 3500 BC - Cain, Seth Uruk (Erech) 3500 to 3100 BC - Noah Jemdet Nasr 3100 to 2900 BC - Flood Early Dynastic 2900 to 2370 BC - Shem to Peleg Sumer and Accad 2500 to 2000 BC - Babel Old Babylonia 2000 to 1600 BC - Abraham Four rivers and three lands pertain to the Garden of Eden. - Genesis 2:11-14 “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden … “ - Genesis 2:10 Early settlers (Ubaidans) in the region diverted water from the Euphrates down an ancient dry river bed to furnish fresh water to Eridu, the Garden, Ubaid, and Ur probably in that order. “Below let the fountain of the deep be stopped, that the flood (water) rise not at the source.” – Atrahasis Albert T. Clay, A Hebrew Deluge Story in Cuneiform “In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up …” - Genesis 7:11 “When kingship was lowered from heaven … it was in Eridu ...” - The Sumerian King List “Babylonian tradition places the Garden of Eden near Eridu.” - Archibald Sayce, Lectures on the Growth of Religion, 1880 There are at least a dozen commonalities between Adam of Genesis and the Legend of Adapa. According to legend Adapa was a priest in the city of Eridu. “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod …” - Genesis 4:16 “… and he (Cain) builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.” Genesis 4:17 Is anybody here from Minnesota? Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta “City, majestic bull bearing vigour and great awesome splendour, Kulaba ...., breast of the storm, where destiny is determined; Unug, great mountain …There the evening meal of the great abode of An was set. In those days of yore, when the destinies were determined, the great princes allowed Unug Kulaba's E- ana to lift its head high. Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta … rain which brings forth dappled barley were then increased in Unug Kulaba. Before the land of Dilmun yet existed, the E-ana of Unug Kulaba was well founded, and the holy jipar of Inana in brick-built Kulaba shone forth like the silver in the lode.” - ETCSL, Oxford, England Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta “City, majestic bull bearing vigour and great awesome splendour, the twin city ......, breast of the storm, where destiny is determined; Enoch, great mountain … There the evening meal of the great abode of the Sumerian father god was set. In those days of yore, when the destinies were determined, the great princes allowed the sacred precinct of Enoch, the twin city to lift its head high. Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta … rain which brings forth dappled barley were then increased in Enoch, the twin city. Before the land of Bahrain yet existed, the sacred precinct of Enoch, the twin city was well founded, and the holy cloister of the fertility goddess in the brick-built twin city shone forth like the silver in the lode.” - adapted from ETCSL, Oxford, England W-B 444 W-B 62 City 1 Alulim 1 Alulim Eridu 2 Alalgar 2 Alalgar " 3 Enmenluanna 3 -kidunnu Badtabira 4 Enmengalanna 4 -alimma " 5 Dumuzi 5 Dumuzi " 6 Ensibzianna 6 Ensipazianna Larak ----- 6a Enmenluanna ----- 7 Enmenduranna 7 Enmenduranna Sippar 8 Ubardudu 8 Ubartutu Shuruppak ----- 9 Su-Kur-Lam " ----- 10 Ziusudra " ------------ The Flood ------------ W-B 444 W-B 62 City 1 Alulim 1 Alulim Eridu 2 Alalgar 2 Alalgar " 3 Enmenluanna 3 -kidunnu Badtabira 4 Enmengalanna 4 -alimma " 5 Dumuzi 5 Dumuzi " 6 Ensibzianna 6 Ensipazianna Larak ----- 6a Enmenluanna ----- 7 Enmenduranna 7 Enmenduranna Sippar 8 Ubardudu 8 Ubartutu Shuruppak ----- 9 Su-Kur-Lam " ----- 10 Ziusudra " ------------ The Flood ------------ W-B 444 W-B 62 City 1 Alulim 1 Alulim Eridu 2 Alalgar 2 Alalgar " 3 Enmenluanna 3 -kidunnu Badtabira 4 Enmengalanna 4 -alimma " 5 Dumuzi 5 Dumuzi " 6 Ensibzianna 6 Ensipazianna Larak ----- 6a Enmenluanna ----- 7 Enmenduranna 7 Enmenduranna Sippar 8 Ubardudu 8 Ubartutu Shuruppak ----- 9 Su-Kur-Lam " ----- 10 Ziusudra " ------------ The Flood ------------ Composite King List City 1 Alulim Eridu 2 Alalgar " 3 Enmenluanna Badtabira 4 Enmengalanna " 5 Dumuzi " 6 Ensipazianna Larak 7 Enmenduranna Sippar 8 Ubartutu Shuruppak 9 Su-Kur-Lam " 10 Ziusudra " ------------ The Flood ------------ Composite King List City 1 Alulim Eridu 2 Alalgar " 3 Enmenluanna Badtabira 4 Enmengalanna " 5 Dumuzi " 6 Ensipazianna Larak 7 Enmenduranna Sippar 8 Ubartutu Shuruppak 9 Su-Kur-Lam " 10 Ziusudra " ------------ The Flood ------------ “Eridu was smitten with weapons Kingship was carried to Badtabira” - Sumerian King List Composite King List City 1 Alulim Eridu 2 Alalgar " 3 Enmenluanna Badtabira 4 Enmengalanna " 5 Dumuzi, the shepherd " 6 Ensipazianna Larak 7 Enmenduranna Sippar 8 Ubartutu Shuruppak 9 Su-Kur-Lam " 10 Ziusudra " ------------ The Flood ------------ o The prophet Ezekiel had a vision where he was "brought to the door of the gate of the Lord's house," and "there sat women weeping for Tammuz" - Ezekiel 8:14 o “Badtabira was smitten with weapons Kingship was carried to Larak” - Sumerian King List Composite King List City 1 Alulim Eridu 2 Alalgar " 3 Enmenluanna Badtabira 4 Enmengalanna " 5 Dumuzi " 6 Ensipazianna Larak 7 Enmenduranna Sippar 8 Ubartutu Shuruppak 9 Su-Kur-Lam " 10 Ziusudra " ------------ The Flood ------------ “Larak was smitten with weapons Kingship was carried to Sippar” - Sumerian King List Composite King List City 1 Alulim Eridu 2 Alalgar " 3 Enmenluanna Badtabira 4 Enmengalanna " 5 Dumuzi " 6 Ensipazianna Larak 7 Enmenduranna Sippar 8 Ubartutu Shuruppak 9 Su-Kur-Lam " 10 Ziusudra " ------------ The Flood ------------ “Sippar was smitten with weapons Kingship was carried to Shuruppak” - Sumerian King List Composite King List City 1 Alulim Eridu 2 Alalgar " 3 Enmenluanna Badtabira 4 Enmengalanna " 5 Dumuzi " 6 Ensipazianna Larak 7 Enmenduranna Sippar 8 Ubartutu Shuruppak 9 Su-Kur-Lam/Suruppak " 10 Ziusudra " ------------ The Flood ------------ “After the flood had swept over, and the kingship had descended from heaven, the kingship was in Kish.” Twenty-three kings ruled until, “Kish was defeated and the kingship was taken to E-ana.” - The Sumerian King List “In E-ana, Meskiagasher, the son of Utu, became lord and king; he entered the sea and disappeared. Enmerkar, the son of Meskiagasher, the king of Unug, who built Unug became king ... “ - The Sumerian King List Comp. King List Berossus 1 Alulim 1 Alorus 2 Alalgar 2 Alaparos 3 Enmenluanna 3 Amelon 4 Enmengalanna 4 Ammenon ----- 5 Amegalaros 5 Dumuzi 6 Daonus 6 Ensipazianna 8 Amempsinos 7 Enmenduranna 7 Edoranchus 8 Ubartutu 9 Otiartes 9 Su-Kur-Lam ----- 10 Ziusudra 10 Xisuthros ------------ The Flood -------- o Patriarch Comp.