Uruk King List
Uruk King List: historiographical document from ancient Babylonia, mentioning the length of the reigns of several kings from Kandalanu (r.647-627) to the Seleucid king Seleucus II Callinicus (r.246-226/225).
The Uruk King List (also known as "King List 5" and ANET3 566) is an important historiographical document from ancient Babylonia. It mentions the length of the reigns of several kings, beginning with Kandalanu (r.647-627) and continuing to the Seleucid king Seleucus II Callinicus (r.246-226/225). Together the Babylonian King List of the Hellenistic Period, the Uruk King list is a useful text for those who are reconstructing the chronology of Babylonia in the late fourth to mid-second centuries.
Unless it was stolen when the museum was looted in April 2003, the cuneiform tablet (IM 65066) is in the Bagdad Museum. On this website, you will find a slightly adapted transcription by A.K. Grayson, from the Reallexikon der Assyriologie, s.v. "Königslisten und Chroniken".
Chronological notes have been added; the right-hand column is a modern approximation of regnal dates.
Description of the tablet
This list of kings of Babylonia and their regnal years, which appears on a fragment from the middle of a small tablet found at Uruk, covers in its preserved portion the period (obverse) from Kandalanu (r.647-627 BCE) to Darius I (522-486 BCE) and from (reverse) Darius III (r.335-331 BCE) to Seleucus II (r.246-226/225 BCE). The script is late Babylonian and the tablet was obviously inscribed some time after the reign of Seleucus II.
Previous editions
- R. Borger, Archiv für Orientforschung 25 (1974-1977) 165ff.
- J.J.A. van Dijk, Vorläufiger Bericht über die Ausgrabungen in Uruk-Warka 18, pages 53-60.
- G.F. Del Monte, Testi dalla Babilonia Ellenistica. Volume I. Testi Cronografici (1997 Pisa, Roma)
- A.K. Grayson, from the Reallexikon der Assyriologie, s.v. "Königslisten und Chroniken".
- A.K. Grayson, 'Assyrian and Babylonian King Lists,' in: Lišan mithurti. (Festschrift Von Soden) (Kevelaer : Neukirchen-Vluyn : Butzon & Bercker; 1969) Plate III.
Obverse |
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| 1'note /MU 21\ | [mAššur-bâni-apli] | Aššurbanipal | 21 years | 668-631 |
| 2' ša-niš | /m\Šamaš-šuma-ukîn | Šamaš-šuma-ukîn | at the same time | 667-648 |
| 3' MU 21 | mK[an-da]-la-an | Kandalanu | 21 years | 647-627 |
| 4' MU 1 | m dSîn2-šumu-lîšir2 | Sin-šumliširnote | 1 year | 626 |
| 5' u | m dSîn2-šarra-iš-ku-un | and Sin-šar-iškûn | Id. | Id |
| 6' MU 21 | m dNabû-apla-usur | Nabopolassar | 21 years | 626note-605 |
| 7' [M]U 43 | m dNabû-kuddurî-usur | Nebuchadnezzar [II] | 43 years | 604-562 |
| 8' [M]U 2 | mAmîl-dMarduk | Amel-Marduk | 2 years | 561-560 |
| 9' [MU] /3\ 8 ITI | m dNergal2-šarra-usur | Neriglissar | 3 years, 8 months | 559-556 |
| 10' [(...)]note 3 ITI | mLa-ba-ši-dMarduk | Labaši-Marduk | [accession year] 3 months | 556 |
| 11' [MU] /17?\ | m dNabû-nâ'id | Nabonidus | 17? years | 555-539 |
| 12' [MU x | mK]ur-aš | Cyrus [the Great] | [x years] | 539-530 |
| 13' [MU x | mKambu-z]i-i | Cambyses [II] | [x years] | 530-522 |
| 14' [MU x | mDaria-m]uš | Darius [the Great] | [x years] | 522-486 |
Reverse |
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| 1' [š]á MU šá-nu-ú | mNidin-dB[êl] | [...] whose second name is Nidin-Bêlnote | [...] | 336?? |
| 2' [M]U 5 | mDa-ra-a-muš | Darius [III Codomannus] | 5 years | 336-331 |
| 3' MU 7? | mA-lik-sa-an-dar | Alexander [the Great] | 7? years | 331-323 |
| 4' MU 6 | mPi-il-ip-su | Philip [III Arridaeus] | 6 years | 323-317 |
| 5' MU 6 | mAt-tu-gu-un | Antigonus [the One-eyed] | 6 years | 317-311 |
| 6' MU 31 | mSi-lu-ku | Seleucus [I Nicator] | 31 years | 311-281 |
| 7' MU 22note | mAn-ti-'u-ku-su | Antiochus [I Soter] | 22 years | 281-261 |
| 8' MU 15 | mAn-ti-'u-ku-su | Antiochus [II Theos] | 15 years | 261-246 |
| 9' [MU] [...]note | mSi-lu-k[u] | Seleucus [II Callinicus] | [... years] | 246-225 |