The Uruk List of Kings and Sages and Late Mesopotamian Scholarship

Abstract

The Uruk List of Kings and Sages is best known for its genealogy connecting human scholars to antediluvian sages. Since its publication in 1962, however, questions pertaining to the text's specific purpose within the context of Hellenistic Uruk have been neglected. This study seeks to understand two such questions: why is the most explicit scholarly genealogy written in the Hellenistic period?; and who is the last named person in the text? Seeking answers to these questions sheds new light on the text's purpose: it is an attempt by scholars to gain support for themselves and their novel cultic agenda. La réputation de la liste des Uruk de les rois et les sages est due à sa généalogie, qui crée un lien entre les savants humains et les sages antédiluviens. Par contre, depuis sa publication en 1962 on a négligé les questions qui ont affaire au but spécifique du texte dans le contexte de l'Uruk hellénistique. Cette étude cherche à comprendre deux questions dans ce domaine: pourquoi la généalogie la plus explicitement savante est-elle écrite pendant l'époque hellénistique?; et qui est la dernière personne nommée dans le texte? Chercher des réponses à ces questions illumine d'une nouvelle façon le but du texte; c'est une tentative par des savants de gagner du soutien pour leur programme original de culte ainsi que pour eux-mêmes.

Sumerian Names

“…Lastly, Aba-Ninnu(or: Enlil)-da-ri was considered a contemporary of Esarhaddon, as seen earlier, which would imply a very late date for the emergence of this family. However, this tradition is late and ideological in nature (Lenzi 2008), and thus it cannot serve as a basis for speculations regarding the history of this family.…”

The Role of Authors in the “Uruk List of Kings and Sages”: Canonization and Cultural Contact

“…The myth entails that by learning the mysteries of cuneiform, scribes entered a line of descent stretching back through famous scholars, semi-divine sages, and all the way to the gods themselves. 29 The structure of the list entails that cuneiform scholars were the proper successors to the semi-divine sages that had founded civilization. Further, the list of mythical figures includes the institutor of the three core crafts of cuneiform scholarship: Oannes, the founder of āšipūtu, Enmeduranki, the founder of bārûtu, and Nungal-pirigal, the founder of kalûtu.…”

“Where is Bazi? Where is Zizi?” The List of Early Rulers in theBalladfrom Emar and Ugarit, and the Mari Rulers in the Sumerian King List and Other Sources

“…13-15). Ziusudra, as king of and his sage Adapa (Lenzi 2008). But who are Bazi and Zizi and how do they fit into this composition?…”

“…176+ addressed to Alulim from the sage Adapa (Hallo Whether this line is quoted directly from the 'Ballad' itself (as 1971 andVeldhuis 1990: 40) to which can be added the Katz, ibid., maintains) or both depend on a third source 'Uruk List of Kings and Sages', again mentioning Ayyalu cannot be known, but it does demonstrate shared knowledge (considered the Akkadian equivalent of Sumerian Alulim) of a common trope (George 2003: 117). Ziusudra, as king of and his sage Adapa (Lenzi 2008). Alulu also features in Suruppak, is mentioned in some antediluvian lists, following incantations meant to ward off field pests (George et ah his father Ubartutu (see, e.g., Jacobsen 1939Jacobsen : 76, n. 34, 59, 2010.…”