If the King List Records the Reign of the Anunnaki, Why Does It Omit the Key Event of 'Human Creation'?

Hey, that's an excellent question and it really hits on a key point! This is a common point of confusion for many people studying Sumerian civilization and the Anunnaki legends.

Simply put, the answer is: The Sumerian King List and the "creation of humankind" myths are two documents with completely different functions, much like a company's "List of Past CEOs" and a "Biography of the Company Founder."

Let me break it down for you in detail – it'll be crystal clear.

Core Answer: Different Roles, Different Purposes

Imagine the ancient Sumerians had many important "documents," but they weren't all lumped together in one folder; each had its own specific use.

• The Sumerian King List: Its primary function was political propaganda and establishing the legitimacy of kingship.
• Creation Myths: Like the famous Atra-Hasis, their function was to explain the origin of the world and the relationship between gods and humans.

Let's use a modern analogy to understand:

Imagine a giant corporation called "Earth Inc."

• The Sumerian King List is like this company's "List of Past Chairmen/CEOs." It records: "First CEO, Zhang San, reigned 20 years; Second CEO, Li Si, reigned 15 years..." The purpose of this list is to tell all employees: "See, our company's leadership has an unbroken line of succession. Current Chairman Wang's authority has historical basis and is legitimate!" It cares about who is ruling and the sequence of power transfer.

• The "creation of humankind" story (like Atra-Hasis) is more like the company's "Founder's Memoir" or "Corporate Culture Handbook." It would say: "Back in the day, several founders (the great gods) were exhausted from developing the business (mining resources), so they decided to hire a group of employees (create humans) to share the workload..." The purpose of this story is to explain: "How did our company come to be? What are our employees' responsibilities? What is our relationship with management (the gods)?" It cares about origins and meaning of existence.

See, would you look in the "List of Past CEOs" for the detailed story of how the company was founded? Generally not, right? They are two documents with entirely different purposes.

The Sumerian King List: A Political Document for "Royal Certification"

Let's look deeper at the King List itself.

Its core idea is the "divine origin of kingship." It aims to convey that the "kingship" ruling over humanity descended from heaven (bestowed by the gods) and was then passed like a baton from one city to another.

• Pre-Flood Kings with Extraordinarily Long Reigns: The first few kings listed have terrifyingly long reigns, often tens of thousands of years. This is actually a literary device meaning "these ancient kings were god-like beings, their era is very distant and sacred to us."
• Post-Flood Transfer of Power: After the Great Flood, kingship transferred from one city to another, like from Kish to Uruk. This provided legitimacy for contemporary kings: "See? Kingship has now passed to us, we are ordained by heaven!"

Therefore, its narrative focus is the flow of "kingship," not the "origin of humankind." In its "script," humans are already existing background characters; the important thing is who becomes the "king."

The "Creation of Humankind" Story: In a Different "Script"

So where did the Sumerians record such an important event as the "creation of humankind"?

They certainly did, and they recorded it in a more suitable "script" – creation myth tablets.

The most famous among these is the Atra-Hasis epic. This story details:

1. Division of Labor Among the Gods: The senior Anunnaki gods made the junior Igigi gods do hard labor (like digging canals).
2. The Gods' "Strike": The Igigi gods couldn't take it anymore and rebelled, going on strike.
3. Creation of Humankind: To solve the labor shortage, the wise god Enki proposed creating "humankind" from clay mixed with the blood and flesh of a slain god, to take over the work from the Igigi.
4. The Subsequent Story: Later, humans multiplied too quickly and became too noisy, angering the chief god Enlil, who decided to destroy them with a Great Flood.

See, the "why" of human creation (to serve as laborers) and the "how" (using clay and divine blood) are clearly explained here. This is the literature specifically dedicated to narrating the "origin of humankind."

To Summarize

Therefore, the reason the Sumerian King List doesn't record the "creation of humankind" isn't an omission, but because it's "not within its scope."

• The King List is a political document. Its protagonist is "kingship," and its purpose is to prove the legitimacy of rule.
• Creation Myths are worldview documents. Their protagonists are "gods and humans," and their purpose is to explain the composition and order of the world.

The "omission" you noticed actually helps us better understand how the ancient Sumerians categorized and utilized their knowledge and history. It's the same reason we wouldn't look for the full text of the Declaration of Independence within a List of U.S. Presidents!