Can the combination of the Anunnaki and the King List be viewed as a modern attempt to repackage ancient mythology with a 'scientific' veneer?

Your question hits the nail on the head.

The simple, direct answer is: Yes, absolutely.

Combining the Anunnaki with the Sumerian King List to interpret it as a history of alien rule over Earth is a classic example of how modern people, particularly since the mid-20th century, have repackaged and reinterpreted ancient mythology with a layer of "science," or more accurately, "science fiction."

Let me break it down for clarity:

First, let's look at what these things originally were

1. The Anunnaki

In the original Sumerian mythology, the Anunnaki were gods. Think of them as the Sumerian equivalent of the "Olympian gods" or our Chinese "Celestial Court deities." They had human emotions—jealousy, anger—held councils, and governed all aspects of nature like sky, earth, water, and wind. The Sumerians believed humans were created from clay by these gods to serve them. This is the essence of myth—an ancient way to explain the world and human origins.

2. The Sumerian King List

This is an excavated ancient clay tablet listing the kings of various Sumerian city-states. Its most peculiar feature is dividing history into "pre-Flood" and "post-Flood" periods.

Pre-Flood kings had absurdly long reigns, often tens of thousands of years. For example, one king, Enmenluanna, reigned for 43,200 years.
Post-Flood kings saw reign lengths gradually shorten from centuries to decades, approaching normal human lifespans.

Mainstream historians view this list as a tool of political propaganda. It aimed to convey "divine right of kings," legitimizing rule as a continuous inheritance from the gods since ancient times. Those terrifyingly long reigns are part of the mythological era, not factual historical records.

Second, see how modern people have "repackaged" them

The most famous figure in this "repackaging" is writer Zecharia Sitchin. His "Ancient Astronaut" theory goes like this:

Redefining the Anunnaki: Sitchin claimed the Anunnaki weren't gods, but highly advanced beings from a planet called "Nibiru"—aliens.
Reinterpreting their purpose: They came to Earth to mine gold because their own planet's atmosphere was failing and needed gold dust for repair.
Reinterpreting human origins: Mining was too laborious, so these aliens genetically engineered early hominids using their own DNA, creating humans (Homo sapiens) as their miners.
Reinterpreting the King List: Who were those kings reigning for millennia? Sitchin said they were the Anunnaki aliens themselves! Their long lifespans explained it. Post-Flood kings with shorter reigns were "human proxies" installed by the aliens.

See how this repackaging transforms the story:

Mythical magic → Sci-fi technology ("Gods created humans from clay" → "Alien genetic engineering")
Divine will → Alien agenda ("Gods ordained kings" → "Aliens installed proxies")
Mythical chronology → Alien longevity ("Kings reigned for millennia" → "Aliens had long lifespans")

Why is this cloaked in "science"?

Sitchin's theory attracted many precisely because it used seemingly "scientific" vocabulary like "genetic engineering," "space travel," "planetary orbits," "mining operations," etc.

This created the illusion that he wasn't recounting myth, but using modern science to decode forgotten real history. He replaced the "divine power" in Sumerian myths with "technology," and "gods" with "aliens."

An analogy: It's like reinterpreting Journey to the West:

Sun Wukong's cloud-somersault isn't magic, but a personal flight device.
His golden staff isn't divine iron, but a nanotech memory metal weapon that extends.
The Celestial Court isn't where gods live, but a massive alien mothership.

The story's framework remains, but the explanation is completely modernized and technologized.

Conclusion

Therefore, you can view the "Anunnaki alien theory" as a highly successful cultural phenomenon. It reflects how, even in the scientific age, people remain fascinated by ancient myths but desire a "rational explanation" that fits the modern worldview.

However, it must be emphasized that this theory is widely regarded as pseudoscience in academia. Sitchin's translations and interpretations of Sumerian cuneiform are rejected by mainstream linguists and historians. He frequently distorted word meanings to make his narrative coherent.

This doesn't prevent it from becoming a pop culture icon, inspiring countless sci-fi novels, films, and games. It itself is a fascinating subject of study, showcasing how modern people engage with and reimagine the ancient past.