COMPENDIUM OF WORLD HISTORY VOLUME 1 chapter 3

COMPENDIUM OF WORLD HISTORY

VOLUME 1

 

CHAPTER THREE

History Begins at Babel

The restoration of history begins with this chapter. It has taken years of research to recover all the vital pieces of evidence needed to tell the full story. The assumptions of historians and archaeologists had first to be cleared away. The most difficult part, however, was the recovery of rejected evidence -- much of it published over 100 years ag.
At last the restoration of the framework of history was complete for Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria, Greece, Media. All the records went back to one momentous event.
The event? The building of the City and Tower of Babel! The beginning of the civilization of this world! It commenced as an act of rebellion against the Government of God. It began with the establishment of the Government of Man. And just as one might expect, all the ancient nations began to reckon their kings from this event.

History Corroborates the Bible

The Biblical account of the City and the Tower of Babel may be found in Genesis 11:1-9. In the Jewish Publication Society translation we read:
And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar: and they dwelt there. And they said one to another: 'Come, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly.' And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. And they said: 'Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, with its top in heaven, and let us make us a name: lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.' And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the Lord said: 'Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language: and this is what they begin to do: and now nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose to do. Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.' So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth and they left off to build the city. Therefore was the name of it called Babel: because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
The most complete secular record is that found in the Akkadian Creation Epic. It is reproduced in "Ancient Near Eastern Texts", by James B. Pritchard, pages 68-69. This account, like most from ancient pagan sources, is encrusted with myth. But that does not nullify the basic historical evidence contained in the epic. Following are extracts, freely translated, from the Epic of Creation concerning the building of the City and the Tower of Babel. A vague recollection of the Supreme God is discernable.
 

"'Now, O lord, thou who hast caused our deliverance,
What shall be our homage to thee?
Let us build a shrine ....'
Brightly glowed his features, like the day:
'Like that of lofty Babylon, whose building you have requested,
Let its brickwork be fashioned. You shall name it "The Sanctuary"'
For one whole year they molded the bricks.
When the second year arrived,
They raised high the shrine equaling a great height.
Having built a stage-tower a great height,
They set up in it an abode for Marduk, Enlil, and Ea.
"This is Babylon, the place that is your home' ...'"

The account in Genesis describes exactly what is given here -- the building of a Tower, or religious edifice, and of a City.
The epic then continues with the establishment of human government. At this point the document is fragmentary, but a father and a son are clearly spoken of:
 

"He set up a throne ....
Another in ....
'Verily, most exalted is the son ....
His sovereignty is surpassing ....
May he shepherd the human race."

The Biblical account reveals who these two individuals were. Cush, the father, and Nimrod, the son. "And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth .... And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel ..." (Genesis 10:8, 10).
With the reign of Cush and of Nimrod the history of civilization begins. At this point commences also the chronology of Egypt, of Assyria, of Babylonia and of the whole Near East.
The exact date of this event was preserved down to Roman times. For Velleius Paterculus cites from Aemilius Sura, in his "Roman History", book I, section VI, the following: "Between this time (when Rome conquered Philip, king of Macedonia) and the beginning of the reign of Ninus (Nimrod) king of the Assyrians, who was the first to hold world power, lies an interval of 1995 years." Philip was conquered in 197. (All dates in this compendium which are not otherwise designated are understood to be before the present era, commonly, though mistakenly, written "B.C.") Nimrod, therefore, began his sole reign in 2192. It followed a joint reign with his father Cush for 62 years, according to Julius Africanus. That places the overthrow of Babel 2254 years before the present era. The two previous years, according to the Epic of Creation, had been spent in erecting Babel. The building of the Tower may therefore be dated 2256-2254. The Bible does not specifically date this event. But it does confirm the general period: "And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided ..." (Genesis 10:25).
Certainly the most spectacular confirmation of this date may be found in the history of China. For the Chinese begin their authentic history also 2254 years before the present era. This is no coincidence. China's first king was "black." His eyes shown with "double brightness." That is, theologically, "demon possessed." They called him Shun, and his father's name is spelled variously Chusou or Kusou -- that is, Cush. In his days lived a very famous woman whose name may be translated as either "the mother of the king of the west," or the "queen mother of the west " (See the "Annals of the Bamboo Books," "The Chinese Classics", by James Legge, vol. III, part I, pages 114-115.)
Before presenting the chronological history of China -- which has been preserved without alteration since the Tower of Babel, let us trace in the West the story of these heroes who founded Babel. No story of history is so unusual, so filled with the unexpected.

On to Egypt

The tombs of all the famous heroes who founded Babel are located in Egypt. Egypt early became the second center of civilization. One can now easily understand why both Babylonians and Egyptians claimed to be the first people in the world -- claimed their civilization and their religious customs were the earliest. In Egypt we now trace the history of what occurred immediately after Babel.
Egyptian history opens with Dynasty I. Its capital was Thinis in Upper Egypt. The names of the first four rulers of Dynasty I are Menes, Athothis, Kenkenes and Uenephes. The spelling of the names is from the Greek of Manetho. The early Egyptian forms vary slightly. Who were these famous individuals?
Let the Egyptians themselves provide the answer. Athothis, Egypt's second king, was Osiris. The tomb of Athothis at Abydos was "the sepulchre of the god Osiris, and, as such, became the shrine to which millions of pilgrims made their way," declared Arthur Weigall in "A History of the Pharaohs", vol. I, page 111. The Egyptian god Osiris was the Baal of the Phoenicians, the Marduk of the Babylonians, the Tammuz of the Semites, the Nimrod of the Bible.
The Cairo fragment of the Annals of Dynasties I-V preserves a name of the mother of Athothis. She is Hept, meaning "the veiled one." This is a designation of Isis, the mother and wife of Osiris. The Assyrians called Isis or Hept Ishtar or Semiramis. In Scripture she is called Ashtoreth. This woman was originally the queen of Meni. Egypt's first king. She became Athothis' queen and wife after the planned death of Meni. Here is confirmation of the age-old tradition that Nimrod married his own mother. Later. Athothis himself was slain in the 28th year of his reign, according to Plutarch.
The father of Athothis, and Egypt's first king, was Meni or Mena -- Menes in Greek. His name means "The Establisher" ("History of Ancient Egypt", vol. II, p. 26, by George Rawlinson), or "The Everlasting" (Waddell's "Manetho", p. 215) Menes was the first to ESTABLISH himself as king in place of the Everlasting God. Since Menes was the father of Athothis (Nimrod), he is the Cush of the Bible. "And Cush begot Nimrod, he began to be a mighty one in the earth" (Gen. 10:8).
The third name in the first dynasty is Kenkenes, a Greek form of Kenken, meaning "The Terrible." He was born, according to Egyptian tradition, after the death of Osiris. His mother placed him on the throne. She claimed he was the reincarnation of Osiris, or Athothis; hence he is at times called Athothis, or Itit in early fragments. (These various names may be found in Sir Alan Gardiner's "Egypt of the Pharaohs" and in Weigall's "A History of the Pharaohs") He was also named Horus, the son of Isis.
Everyone of these famous men of old had many names. Of Nimrod, we read in the Epic of Creation:
 

"As for us, by however many names we call him, he is our god'
Let us then proclaim his fifty names ...."

Listed fourth in Dynasty I is Uenephes. This king was a woman! She called herself Henneit, meaning "Neit is victorious." Neit is the Egyptian form of the Greek Athena. She also called herself Hept, which means "the veiled one," as already noted. This evidence clearly means that the wife of Meni, or Cush, was the mother and later the wife of Nimrod, and later still the mother of Kenkenes or Horus.
Years later, she even propositioned her own son Horus, called Gilgamesh in Babylonian tradition, as we read in the following extracts from the Epic of Gilgamesh:
 

"When Gilgamesh had put on his tiara,
Glorious Ishtar raised an eye at the beauty of Gilgamesh:
'Come, Gilgamesh, be thou my lover!
Do but grant me of thy fruit.
Thou shalt be my husband and I will be thy wife'.
Gilgamesh opened his mouth to speak,
Thou art but a brazier which goes out in the cold;
A back door which does not keep out blast and .windstorm;
Pitch which soils its bearers; A waterskin which soaks through its bearer;
A shoe which pinches the foot of its owner!
Which lover didst thou love forever?
Come and I will name for thee thy lovers:
Of .... (the story of Cush is broken from the cuneiform tablet)
for Tammuz, the lover of thy youth,
Thou hast ordained wailing year after year.
them."

(Consult Pritchard's "Ancient Near Eastern Texts", pages 83-84. Compare the account of Tammuz with Ezekiel 8:14.)

The Chronology of Dynasty I

Now we are ready to build the chronology of Egypt and of all ancient history from its beginning. Without a knowledge of who these rulers of Dynasty I are, it would be impossible to make sense of the following lengths of reign. The various pieces of information came originally from a full-length account by Manetho. The abstractors each told only part of the full story. No one list is complete in itself, but taken together -- in the same way the Bible ought to be studied -- every chronological fact makes sense.
 

	Africanus	Eusebius	Eusebius (Armenian Version)
	Years	Years	Years
1 Menes (Cush)	62	60	30
2 Athothis (Nimrod)	57	27	25
3 Kenkenes (Horus or Gilgamesh)	31	39	39
4 Uenephes (Ishtar or Isis)	23	42	42

Eratosthenes gives 62 for Menes and 59 for Athothis.

The immediate comment that all modern historians give, is that the list is corrupt. But they have no proof. They have never assembled these figures to tell the full story. Remember, the full account of what really occurred is lost in Manetho's original work. (A few facts have been reclaimed by archaeology.) Each of the abstractors of Manetho told only part of the story. Like the writers of the four gospels, each viewed what he saw in history from a different perspective. What was important to one, did not appear as important to another. It is time scholarship had a little more respect for the documents they purport to handle so judiciously.
The numbers in this list, as in almost all ancient history and also the Bible, are calendar years. That explains why they are whole figures. The immediate years after the building of Babel are assigned to Cush, although his son Nimrod reigned jointly with him.
The account begins with the reign of Cush or Menes. He began to reign in Shinar, not in Egypt. He came to Egypt where he spent his last 30 years. Cush or Menes ruled altogether 62 years, after which Nimrod began his sole rule of 25 years. Nimrod settled in Egypt 60 years after the building of Babel, and reigned two years jointly with his father. His total reign in Egypt was therefore 27 years. Plutarch records that Osiris (Nimrod) had to flee Egypt at the end of 27 years. He was executed in the summer in his 28th year by Shem, in the month of Tammuz, the 17th day according to ancient tradition.

These events may thus be clearly dated as follows:
 

Menes (Cush)	60	2254-2194 (reign prior to coming of Nimrod)
Athothis (Nisrod)	27	2194-2167 (total reign in Egypt)

-or-

 

Menes (Cush)	62	2254-2192 (total reign of Cush)
Athothis (Nimrod)	25	2192-2167 (sole reign in Egypt)

Cush came to Egypt about 2222 and united Upper and Lower Egypt under his supreme authority for 30 years -- 2222-2192. This marks the beginning of Cushite, or Ethiopian, settlement in Africa. Cush, at the time of death, may have been nearly 170 years of age.
Josephus confirms this restoration of history in "Antiquities" book VIII, chapter vi, sect. 2: "All the kings from Menes, who built Memphis, ... until Solomon ... was more than one thousand three hundred years."
In 2167 Nimrod (Athothis) fled to Italy and was slain there. At the flight of Nimrod, his mother-wife Uenephes also had to flee -- tradition states to the Delta. At this point some continued to reckon after the era of Nimrod or Athothis, since he had no male heir. Others reckoned time after his mother-wife who went into hiding. Thirty years passed. Now see how Manetho's figures fit!
It was about 57 years after Nimrod had come to Egypt. Suddenly his widow Uenephes or Isis reappears with a son -- Kenkenes or Horus. Four years later -- 59 years after the death of Menes or Cush, she associates the son with her on the throne of Egypt. Isis or Uenephes thus temporarily triumphs over those who were responsible for the execution of Nimrod.
Eight years later -- 42 years after the death of Nimrod -- the son Horus becomes supreme ruler as his mother turns over to him the reins of government. Horus or Kenkenes reigned altogether 39 years, alone for 31 years. Uenephes therefore reigned, after her return from exile, for 12 years (four years alone and eight years with her son). Afterward she returned to the throne again for 11 years following the departure of Horus for Babylonia, making a total of 23 years. (In Babylon Horus received the name Gilgamesh.) Thus every figure of Manetho, preserved from antiquity, fits.

This information may therefore be summarized as follows:
 

Athothis (Nimrod)	57	2194-2137 (years from Nimrod's coming into Egypt to return of Isis)
Uenephes (Ishtar)	12	2137-2125
Kenkenes (Horus)	31	2125-2094 (sole reign of Horus)
Uenephes	-- 11 years more,	2094-2083, making a total of 23.

-or-

 

Athothis (Nimrod)	27	2194-2167 (total reign in Egypt)
Uenephes (Ishtar)	42	2167-2125 (years from flight of Nimrod to sole reign of Horus)
Kenkenes (Horus)	31	2125-2094

-or-

Athothis (Nimrod)	59	2192-2133 (years from the death of Cush to reign of Horus)
Kenkenes (Horus)	39	2133-2094 (total reign of Horus)

It is immediately noticeable that Horus or Gilgamesh left Egypt exactly 100 years after Nimrod left Babylonia to come to Egypt -- 2194-2094. This figure has important significance when we come to comparing Egyptian history with that of the land of Shinar or Sumer, in Mesopotamia.

Shem in Egypt

The first book of Manetho lists four more kings in Dynasty I. Among them is Shem. All classical records agree as to the length of reign. The reconstructed Cairo fragment of the Palermo stone gives different figures, but the same total -- indicating there were contemporary reigns, during which more than one ruler shared the throne. A Biblical parallel to this may be observed in the case of Jehoshaphat and Jehoram in Judah (II Kings 8:16).

The figures appear as follows:
 

	Manetho		Palermo Stone Restored
5 Usaphais	20	2083-2063	34	2083-2049
6 Miebis	26	2063-2037	19	2049-2030
7 Semempses	18	2037-2019	9	2030-2021
8 Bieneches	26	2019-1993	28	2021-1993

The total length of Dynasty I is 261 years -- 2254-1993.
The seventh king is especially significant. His original name in the Egyptian records is Semsem -- meaning the Great Sem or Shem. In the New Testament Greek, Shem is spelled Sem (Luke 3:36). The hieroglyphics representing Shem depict him in Asiatic, not Egyptian, dress. He appears as an old man with a long beard in priestly garb. Old indeed he was. About 430 years old!
Shem left Egypt in 2019 or one year before the death of Noah in 2018 which was 350 years after the Flood Shem probably heard that Noah was approaching death in 2019.
Now consider Miebis, the sixth king, and predecessor of Semsem. His tomb was defaced by Semsem. A later section, in volume II, will reveal Miebis to be Osiris II. He was slain by Semsem. The Egyptians called him Typhon. He was the "father" or ancestor of "Judah and Jerusalem," records Plutarch.
Dynasty II of Thinis
The kings of the second dynasty were comparatively insignificant. Other and more powerful rulers were dominating Egypt at this time -- ever since the days of Shem, but who they were will be disclosed only after the chronology of the first eight dynasties is firmly established. The change from Dynasty I to II at this point in history will also become apparent, once we begin to examine parallel dynasties who fought over the possession of Abydos and Thinis.

The first four rulers of Dynasty II:
 

Names in Manetho	Names in King lists	Years of Reign	Dates
1 Boethos	Bedjau	38	1993-1955
2 Kaiechos	Kakau	39	1955-1916
3 Binothris	Banutjeren	47	1916-1869
4 Tlas	Wadjnas	17	1869-1852

The fragment of the Palermo Stone agrees with this total.
In the reign of Binothris "it was decided that women might hold the kingly office," wrote Manetho. This legal decision accounts for the bifurcation of the dynasty within two generations. Manetho's abstractors list both branches of the dynasty in successive order, giving the false impression that one followed the other. This is the very same technique Manetho employed in listing contemporary dynasties. The Turin Papyrus and the Palermo Stone provide the information missing from Manetho. Once again all the evidence must be considered, including Manetho.
The fifth king listed by Manetho and the monuments was Sethenes (Sendi in the King-lists). He reigned altogether for 41 years -- 1852-1811. The Palermo stone provides the added fact that he associated others with him after his 37th year. His sole reign was 37 years -- 1852-1815.

At this point he associated Chaires and Sesochris with him on the throne. Sesochris -- the eighth in Manetho's list -- was succeeded by Cheneres -- the ninth in Manetho. Their reigns:
 

Names in Manetho	Names in King lists	Years of Reign in Manetho	Dates
5 Sethenes	Sendi	37 (or 41)	1852-1815 (or 1852-1811)
8 Sesochris	Neferkaseker	48	1815-1767
9 Cheneres	--	30	1767-1737

Parallel with Sesochris was Chaires, who reigned for 17 years. His successor was Nephercheres (Neferkare in the King-lists). Manetho gives him a total reign of 25 years, but the Palermo Stone and the Turin Papyrus indicate he was removed from the kingship by Sesochris after a reign of only 15 years. The Turin Papyrus preserves the record that Sesochris replaced him for 8 years. Following the usurpation by Sesochris, Nephercheres returned to the throne for 10 more years completing 25 years of reign. He was succeeded by Necherophes, the first king listed by Manetho for Dynasty III of Memphis. In chart form this information appears thus:
 

Names in Manetho	Years of Reign	Dates
6 Chaires	17	1815-1798
7 Nephercheres	15	1798-1783
8 Sesochris (Neferkaseker)	8	1783-1775
7 Nephercheres	10	1775-1765
Necherophes (reigns in Memphis)	28	1765-1737

The Turin Papyrus indicates that the return to power of Nephercheres was facilitated by another prince of royal blood who shared the throne. Though Manetho does not list him, he and his successor appear in the King-lists and in the Turin Papyrus as follows:
 

Names in King-lists and Turin Panyrus	Years of Reign	Dates
Hudjefa	11	1775-1764
Beby (Bebty)	27	1764-1737

Thus every date from each document is accounted for. The total length of Dynasty II is 256 years -- 1993-1737, Altogether 517 years had elapsed since human government was established after the deluge.

Joseph and the Seven-Years' Famine

It has been necessary to name kings not associated with Biblical events in order to establish the proper date for Dynasty III. This dynasty is one of the most important in all Egyptian history. In it are the records of Joseph's rulership and of the seven years' famine. This dynasty is usually mistakenly placed over a thousand years too early! But before proceeding, we must examine the Turin Papyrus for a most significant summary date.
The Turin Papyrus contains the following entry after Dynasty VIII: "Kings since Menes, their kingdoms and years: 949 years: kingless years: 6. Total, 955." (See Gardiner's Royal Canon of Turin.) It also lists 181 years for Dynasty VI. The known length of Dynasty III is 74 years, of Dynasty IV, 123; of Dynasty V, 140; of Dynasty VIII, 140. And remember, Dynasty I and Dynasty II totaled 517 years. Yet the total for the entire period is only 955 years. There is no other possible explanation than that certain of these dynasties reigned parallel with each other. Joseph will be found listed in two of them!

To return to Dynasty III -- the first dynasty of the city of Memphis. The Turin Papyrus, together with the restored Palermo Stone, provides the complete regnal years of the five successive kings who dominated the dynasty. The name Zoser, the first ruler of the dynasty is also spelled Djoser.
 

Names of Kings in King-lists	Name in Manetho	Reigns in Turin Canon	Dates
Zoser-za (Netjrikhe)	Tosorthros	19	1737-1718
Nebka (of the royal line of Beby)		19	1718-1699
Zoser-teti	Tosertasis	6	1699-1693
Nebkare		6	1693-1687
Huny		24	1687-1663

The end of a seven-year's famine occurred at the close of year 18 of Zoser I (end of winter 1719). No other seven-years' famine is reported during the entire history of the Pharaohs. This is the Biblical seven-years' famine under Joseph. It is at the right time.
An account of the calamity is to be found on the rocks of the island of Sehel, at the First Cataract. A modern translation of it may be found in "Biblical Archaeology" by G. Ernest Wright, page 56. The account reads:
 

"Year 18 .... I was in distress on the
Great Throne, and those who are in the palace
were in Heart's affliction from a very great
evil, since the Nile had not come in my time
for a space of seven years. Grain was scant,
fruits were dried up, and everything which
they eat was short .... The infant was wailing;
the youth was waiting; the heart of the old
man was in sorrow .... The courtiers were
in need. The temples were shut up ....
Everything was found empty." (Translation
by J. A. Wilson in "Ancient Near Eastern Texts",
edited by J. B. Pritchard, page 31.)

But where does Joseph appear in this period? The answer is found in Dynasty III and Dynasty IV of Manetho. He appears under the name Suphis (or Souphis or Saophis) -- different Greek spellings from Manetho's abstractors. Joseph in Hebrew, it should be noted, is not pronounced with an English "J" sound, but with a "Y" sound. In Manetho's Egyptian transcription of the name only the consonents "s" and "ph" appear -- hence the Greek Souphis or its variant forms. Eratosthenes wrote that the Egyptians had designated Suphis as a "money-getter" or "trafficker" (Fragment 17, "Manetho", by W. G. Waddell, page 219).

Dynasty III in Manetho is made up of many rulers which do not appear in the Turin Papyrus. Only the two Djosers appear in each list, and in each case the full length of reign is preserved in Manetho. These otherwise unknown rulers are accounted fiction by modern historians. Had they only looked in the Bible they would have found one of them in the person of Joseph.
 

Names in Manetho	Name in King-lists	Length of Reign	Dates
1 Necherophes (previously mentioned at end of Dynasty II)		28	1765-1737
2 Tosorthros	Djoser-za	29	1737-1708
3 Tureis		7	1708-1701
4 Mesochris		17	1701-1684
5 Souphis (Joseph)		16	1684-1668

In Dynasty IV Suphis or Joseph is given 66 years by Manetho. This makes it clear that Dynasty IV -- a foreign dynasty -- parallels Dynasty III. The two records together tell the full story. Only the latter portion of Joseph's reign is preserved in the list of rulers in Dynasty III. The entire period of Joseph's public service is contained in the parallel account. The 66 years of Joseph's public service cover the years 1734-1668. Compare this date with Zoser's seven years of famine. The famine ended in 1719 after the rise in Upper Egypt of the new Nile during the summer of 1720 in Zoser's 18th year. The famine thus extends in Egypt from the spring of 1726 to the spring of 1719 (Jacob came to Egypt in the summer of 1725, after the harvest had failed two years in Palestine ) The seven harvests of great abundance were during the years 1733-1727. Joseph, according to the Bible, came to power in 1734, the year before the beginning of the seven years of prosperity. And 1734 is the very date for the commencement of Joseph's public office, as listed in the fourth dynasty! Joseph was 30 years of age upon entering his service (Gen. 41:46). He thus served till 96 years of age, and died at 110 (50:26).

But Manetho's account does not end here. There are yet four kings that complete the dynasty. These kings parallel, in part, those already mentioned, and whose reign is preserved in the Turin Papyrus.
 

Names in Manetho Dynasty III	Names in Turin Canon and King-list	Length of Reign in	Dates
6 Tosertasis	Djoser-teti or Teti	19	1699-1680
7 Aches		42	1680-1638
8 Sephuris	Sahure	30	1638-1608
9 Kerpheres		26	1608-1582

In summary, the third dynasty is divided at times into two or three branches -- just as was the second dynasty. The government under this dynasty was centered at Memphis. Not every ruler was of the same rank, of course, but all exercised royal power (Genesis 41:39-44).
Although Dynasty IV, in which Joseph's and Job's long reigns are recorded, is parallel with these events, it is better to restore it after the fifth and sixth dynasties are presented.

The Exodus

In Manetho, Dynasty V is designated as from Elephantine -- far away to the south, in Upper Egypt on the borders of Nubia. Although Manetho lists nine kings in the dynasty, he plainly states that there were only "eight kings from Elephantine." This mystery has never been solved by historians. Their explanation is that the records are incorrect. Not so. There were only eight kings from Elephantine, because Sephres, the second in the list, was of the Memphis line and had already appeared as Sephuris in the third dynasty. He is the key to the proper dating of Dynasty V. Though from Elephantine, the government was usually centered near Memphis. The Turin Papyrus and the restored Palermo Stone give us the following summary:
 

Names in Manetho	Names in King-lists & Canon of Turin	Years of Reign in Turin Canon and in Palermo Stone	Dates
1 Usercheres	Userkaf	7	1627-1620
2 Sephres (mentioned in Dynasty III as Sephuris)	Sahure	12	1620-1608
3 Nephercheres	Neferirkare	21	1608-1587
4 Sisires	Shepseskare	7	1587-1580
5 Cheres	Khaneferre	17	1580-1563
6 Rathures	Niuserre	11	1563-1552
7 Mencheres	Menkauhor	8	1552-1544
8 Tancheres	Djedkare	28	1544-1516
9 Onnos	Unis (Unas)	30	1516-1486

With Unis the dynasty comes to a catastrophic end. (He was a contemporary of the Pharaoh who perished at the Red Sea.) The king died the night of the Passover. Unis was a firstborn' He was also a cannibal! After Moses left Egypt, he commenced the frightful practice of eating the firstborn of his enemies. That is one of the reasons God slew the firstborn of Egypt. From the pyramid-tomb of Unis one may read this horrible account of his life, his blasphemous claims, and his deeds.
"Behold, Unas hath arrived at the height of heaven .... Ra is on one side and Horus is on the other, and Unas is between them .... Unas hath weighed his word with the hidden god who hath no name, on the day of hacking in pieces the firstborn .... Unas devoureth men .... He ... cutteth off hairy scalps ... the cordmaster hath bound them for slaughter. Khonsu the slayer of ... hath cut their throats and drawn out their inward parts, for it was he whom Unas sent to drive them in: and Shesem hath cut them in pieces and boiled their members in his blazing cauldrons. Unas hath eaten their words of power, and he hath swallowed their spirits; the great ones among them serve for his meal at daybreak, the lesser serve for his meal at eventide, and the least among them serve for his meal at night. The old gods and the old goddesses become fuel for his furnace. The mighty ones in heaven shoot out fire under the cauldrons which are heaped up with the haunches of the firstborn; and he that maketh those who live in heaven to revolve around Unas hath shot into the cauldrons the haunches of their women of the gods in visible form. UNAS IS THE FIRSTBORN OF THE FIRSTBORN existence is ... and the offerings made unto him are more than those made unto the gods ..." (from E. A. Wallis Budge's "A History of Egypt", vol. II, pages 83-88.) Compare King Unis and his blasphemous claims with II Thessalonians 2:3-4. A remarkable analogy.

Name in Manetho Length of Reign Dates

Manetho adds details to this dynasty missing from the Turin Canon. His figures for length of reign clearly illustrate that several kings of Dynasty V reigned jointly as with almost every previous royal line. From Manetho's abstractors the following table may be drawn up:
 

Name in Manetho	Length of Reign	Dates
1 Usercheres	28	1648-1620

(The reign of Usercheres in the Turin Papyrus does not begin until 1627, after the end of its Dynasty IV, though he had previously been reigning.)
 

2 Sephres	13	1620-1607
3 Nephercheres	20	1607-1587
4 Sisires	7	1587-1580
5 Cheres	20	1580-1560

At this point the line of Elephantine divides into two branches. After year 17 of Cheres, Rathures came to power for 44 years and was succeeded by Unis.
 

6 Rathures	44	1563-1519
9 Onnos	33	1519-1486

After the 20-year reign of Cheres, Tancheres came to power also for 44 years, with Unis as his successor as follows:
 

8 Tancheres	44	1560-1516
9 Onnos (Unis)	30 in Turin Canon	1516-1486

For a total period of 9 years Mencheres shared in the government, giving rise to three parallel reigns. Subdivisions of government as here illustrated were quite typical of the ancient world. An example that might be cited is the government of the later Roman Empire when subdivided into two parts, each under two emperors.

Pharaoh of the Exodus

Now for the sixth dynasty. To determine its chronological place in history, we must first establish the end of Dynasty VIII. Dynasty VIII, located at Memphis, was a very weak period -- under foreign dominion, as will later be established. It lasted a total of 140 years. Many of the names of its kings have been found, but no regnal dates for any individual kings can be determined. (Consult Gardiner's "Egypt of the Pharaohs", page 437.) This dynasty concludes the 955 years from the beginning of the government of Menes or Cush at Babel, according to the Turin Canon. Its dates are therefore 1439-1299.
It was preceded by 6 kingless years, extending from 1445-1439. This period corresponds with Joshua's conquest of Goshen to the Nile (Joshua 10:41 and 11:16). Sometimes these six kingless years are attached to Dynasty VI; on other occasions the period is attached to Dynasty VIII. During this period of six kingless years occurs the ephemeral seventh dynasty. Africanus records that it comprised a kind of council with 70 kings exercising authority for 70 days. Eusebius declares there were 5 kings who ruled for 75 days. Little else is known of the period.

Dynasty VI of Memphis immediately preceded this period. It lasted 181 years -- 1626-1445. The following chart is determined from archaeological evidence and the Turin Canon.
 

Names in Manetho	Names in Turin Canon and King-lists	Length of Reign	Dates
1 Othoes	Teti	13	1623-1613
	Userkare (a usurper)	6	1613-1607
2 Phios	Piopi	20	1607-1587
3 Menthusuphis	Merenre	6	1587-1581
4 Phiops	Neferkare	94	1581-1487
5 Menthesuphis	Merenre-Antyemzaef	1	1487-1486
6 Nitocris	Nitokerty	12	1486-1474
(Manetho ends his list here)	Neferka, the younger	20	1474-1454
	Nufe	2	1454-1452
	Kakare (Ibi)	4	1452-1448
	(name missing)	2	1448-1446
	(name missing)	1	1446-1445

Manetho assigns to Othoes 30 years, at the end of which time he was assassinated by his bodyguard, His total reign extended from 1643-1613. Manetho's second king Phios is assigned 53 years: 1613-1560. He reigned jointly during the early years of his young son Pepi the Great (Phiops Neferkare) Menthusuphis is assigned by Manetho 7 years, and archaeological finds indicate he reigned a year jointly with his young brother before he died (1581-1580).
Compare these dates with those of Dynasty V for the Exodus. Dynasty V ended at 1486 with the death of the magician-king (Unis is called Jannes in II Timothy 3:8.) In Dynasty VI king Merenre II also dies in 1486, after only one year's reign. He was succeeded by his wife Nitocris, then by his son Neferka "the younger." Neferka's older brother, the firstborn, died at the Passover. No trace of him has been found. Compare this with Exodus 2:23, "And it came to pass in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died." This king is Neferkare -- more commonly called Pepi II -- who reigned the longest in all Egyptian history. He came to the throne at 6 years of age and died at 100. Then God calls Moses. To Moses he declared: "Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead that sought thy life" (Exodus 4:19). Merenre II was now reigning -- the Pharaoh whom Moses and Aaron met and who perished in the Red Sea. At this juncture in history Egypt collapsed. Foreign invaders enter the land -- but who they were and where they came from must wait until all the previous dynasties before the Exodus are determined.

Dynasty IV -- the Pyramid Builders

To return to the story of Joseph. Parallel with Dynasty III of Memphis, was Dynasty IV, "eight kings of Memphis belonging to a different line." This dynasty includes such famous names as Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus -- to use the names made familiar by Herodotus. The list of kings of the fourth dynasty in the Turin Canon and on the Palermo Stone differs from Manetho after Cheops. The result, no doubt, of the tragic plague that came upon Cheops (Job). The Palermo Stone and the Turin Canon begin Dynasty IV 123 years before Dynasty V. That means it commenced the 24-year reign of Snefru in 1750. The following dates are from Turin Canon and restored Palermo Stone.
 

Name in King-lists and on Turin Papyrus	Length of Reign	Dates
Snefru	24	1750-1726
Khufwey (Cheops)	23	1726-1703

(According to Herodotus, the Great Pyramid took 20 years to build, much of it during the time of the seven-years' famine when labor was available. The loss of authority after 23 years appears to correspond with the plague on Job. At this point the death of several of the sons of Cheops is recorded at the tombs near Gizeh) Continuing:
 

Radjedef	8	1703-1695
Khafre	27	1695-1668
Hardjedef	7	1668-1661
Baufre	28	1661-1633
Shepseskaf	4	1633-1629
( name missing)	2	1629-1627

At this point this branch of the dynasty was succeeded by the kings of Dynasty V, from Elephantine.

The following is the information preserved by Manetho who begins the dynasty five years earlier than does the Turin Canon. (Note that Cheops is designated as Job. See May 1958 "Good News", p. 3.)
 

Names in Manetho	Names in King-lists	Length of Reign	Dates
1 Soris	Snofru or Snefru	29	1755-1726
2 Suphis (Cheops or Job)	Khufwey	63	1726-1663
3 Suphis (Joseph)	---	66	1734-1668
4 Mencheres	Menkaure	63	1668-1605

Parallel with Mycerinus were the following:
 

5 Ratoises	---	25	1668-1643
6 Bicheris	---	22	1643-1621
7 Sebecheres	---	7	1621-1614
8 Thampthis	---	9	1614-1605

Herodotus tells us that according to Egyptian tradition there were 150 years between the beginning of the dynasty and the end of the life of Mycerinug, 1755-1605. Manetho's account appears senseless to historians because they have assumed there were no other kings than those whose records they have found through archaeology. It is often the men who were least important in their own age whose tombs or monuments have been recovered, while the individuals who loomed large at the time have vanished completely.
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COMPENDIUM OF WORLD HISTORY VOLUME 1

COMPENDIUM OF WORLD HISTORY

VOLUME 1

A Dissertation

Presented to

The Faculty of the Ambassador College

Graduate School of Theology

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Theology

by Herman L. Hoeh

1962

(1963-1965, 1967 Edition)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One ..... The Modern Interpretation of History A Radical New View How History Is Written Not Without Bias A Case History "Anything but Historical Truth" History Involves Interpretation The Truth about the "Historical Method" Evidence of God Rejected as "Myth" History Cut from Its Moorings
Chapter Two ..... 6000 Years of History It Is Never Safe to Assume No "Prehistory" of Man Cultures, Not "Ages" Origin of the Study of History Historians Follow the Higher Critics Framework of History Founded on Egypt Is Egyptian History Correct? Distorting History
Chapter Three ..... History Begins at Babel History Corroborates the Bible On To Egypt The Chronology of Dynasty I Shem in Egypt Dynasty II of Thinis Joseph and the Seven Years' Famine The Exodus Pharaoh of the Exodus Dynasty IV -- The Pyramid Builders
Chapter Four ..... The Missing Half of Egypt's History The Story Unfolds Moses the General History of Upper Egypt The Great Theban Dynasty XII Who Was Rameses?
Chapter Five ..... Egypt After the Exodus Who Were the Invaders? The Great Shepherds Hyksos in Book of Sothis Amalekites after 1076
Chapter Six ..... The Revival of Egypt Dynasty XVIII The Biblical Parallel Shishak Captures Jerusalem Who Was Zerah the Ethiopian? Dynasty XVIII in Manetho The Book of Sothis
Chapter Seven ..... The Era of Confusion Egypt As It Really Was The Later Eighteenth Dynasty Manetho's Evidence The El-Amarna Letters Are the "Habiru" Hebrews? After El-Amarna
Chapter Eight ..... Egypt to the Persian Conquest The "Israel" Inscription The "Thirteen Fatal Years" Nebuchadnezzar and Ramesses the Great Catching Up Loose Ends Dynasty XXV, the Ethiopians Dynasty XXVI of Sais Manetho's Account of Dynasty XXVI Book of Sothis and Dynasty XXVI Another Look at the Book of Sothis Appearance of Dynasty XXIV of Sais Who Was Usimare Piankhi? Dynasty XXIII of Tanis Dynasty XXII of Bubastis So-called Dynasty XXII Dynasty XXI of Tanis What Eratosthenes Revealed
Chapter Nine ..... The Eclipse of Egypt Answer in Ezekiel Persian Kings of Egypt Egypt Rebels And Now Dynasty XX of Thebes
Chapter Ten ..... It Began at Babel Mesopotamia Rediscovered What Archaeologists Learned Analyzing the Sumerian King List History Continues at Erech
Chapter Eleven ..... Berossus and Babylonian History Another Account of Earliest Dynasties First Dynasty of Ur and Successors Now Sargon of Akkad Dynasties IV and V of Erech The Guti Dynasty Three Other Dynasties Dynasty III of Ur Dynasty of Isin Dynasty IV of Kish and the "400 Years" Dynasty of Akshak Dates of Queen Ku-Baba
Chapter Twelve ..... Hammurabi to the Fall of Babylon Why Hammurabi Dated Early The Dynasty of Larsa When Did Hammurabi Reign Damiq-ilishu Reappears' Nebuchadnezzar the First Era of Nabonassar Three Succeeding Dynasties
Chapter Thirteen ..... History of Assyria Later Assyrian Kings Who Was Shalmaneser? Predecessors of Shalmaneser III King Pul and the Bible Tiglath-pileser I and Thutmose III
Chapter Fourteen ..... History of Assyria Concluded The Kassite Dynasty The Earliest Kassites The First 1000 Years of Assyrian History Analyzing the King List
Chapter Fifteen ..... Media, India, Japan and China The Revolts of the Medes History of Early India Early Indian Kings of Magadha Scythia and the History of Japan History of China
Chapter Sixteen ..... Asia Minor and the West Modern Mythology Beginnings of History The Proof of Language The Proof of Race The Kingdom of Mitanni and the Hurrians Who Were the Hurrians? Phrygians and Hatti
Chapter Seventeen ..... How Greek History Was Corrupted Greeks Admit Homer Was Demented The Plot Centers on Troy Homer and the Lydian Kings Restoring Greek History Kings of Corinth The History of Athens The History of Sicyon Enter Sparta Who Were the Heraclidae? The History of Argos Genealogy of Danaus Sea Powers of Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean The History of Italy
Chapter Eighteen ..... The History of Ireland How Confusion Arose in Irish History The First 1000 Years The Coming of the Milesians Did David Visit Ireland? Jerimiah Goes to Ireland The Milesian Kings The Throne in Scotland
Chapter Nineteen ..... Early Britain and Western Europe The Enigma Solved Early Europe The Heraclidae Kings The Trojans and Western Europe The Testimony of Archaeology
Chapter Twenty ..... The Proof of Archaeology Archaeology in the Aegean World Palestine, Syria and Archaeology The Coming of Israel into Palestine Mesopotamian Archaeology Northern Mesopotamia Egypt in Parallel
Bibliography
Volume 2
--------------------

shems descsndants

linwage of shem to joseph

ham shem japhet

Sargon

eden

map

qncient

assyrua

Timeline

Destruction of Jerusalem

jj

wae

connevtiomn

babel

bunaqan

Sumerian King List

Name of Dynasty 
First Dynasty of Kish 
First Dynasty of Uruk (Erech) 
First Dynasty of Ur 
Dynasty of Awan 
Second Dynasty of Kish 
Dynasty of Hamazi 
Second Dynasty of Uruk 
Second Dynasty of Ur 
Dynasty of Adab 
Dynasty of Mari 
Third Dynasty of Kish 
Dynasty of Akshak 
Fourth Dynasty of Kish 
Third Dynasty of Uruk 
Dynasty of Akkad, etc.

Analyzing the Sumerian King List

   The Sumerian King List opens the history of postflood civilization by the following account: "After the Flood has swept over the earth and when kingship was lowered again from heaven, kingship was first in Kish. In Kish, Ga ... ur became king and ruled 1,200 years ...." The First Dynasty of Kish contains three kings who ruled, according to the scribes, for 24,510 years! (Pritchard's "Ancient Near Eastern Texts", page 265.) 
   Here certainly is a chronological account that is neither historical nor Biblical. Yet several of the kings named have left behind incontestable evidences of their reality. That the original reigns are purposely lengthened far beyond actual duration is recognized by all historians. The cause of this Babylonian flight of fancy is the same as that which prompted evolutionists and geologists to stretch out the "Ice Ages" to hundreds of thousands of years — though in reality they occurred in historical times and are found described in Greek and Roman literature. 
   People want to believe in the extreme antiquity of Man's past. The ancient Babylonians were no exception. In his account of Babylon's first two kings, Cush and Nimrod, the priest Berossus assigned 2,400 years to Evechous (Cush) and 2,700 to Cosmaskelos (Nimrod). ("The Dawn of Civilization", by Maspero, p. 573.) These figures are significant. From Egyptian, Greek and Roman sources it has already been demonstrated in this Compendium that Cush ruled 60 years before he was succeeded by the 27-year reign of his son Nimrod. Thus Berossus multiplied the 60 years of Cush by 40 and arrived at the date 2,400. (In the Sumerian king list the figure for Ga ... ur, the first king, who is Cush, is 1,200 — that is, 60 multiplied by 20.) Berossus multiplied the 27 years of Nimrod by 100 and obtained 2,700 years. The Babylonians used a clever mathematical trick to lengthen the reigns of the rulers of Kish. However, the device used by the priests has been solved. The dating for Dynasty I and II of Kish can be found in Appendix A of vol. II of the Compendium. 
   But what is the special significance of the city of Kish? Why should it be considered first to bear rule in Mesopotamia? 
   Kish is the city of Cush or Kush. It is situated near the site of ancient Babylon. It became a sacred site because people first dwelt there in the land of Shinar after the flood. From the area of Kish they commenced the erection of the city of Babel. But Babel turned out to be a failure — "they left off to build the city" (Genesis 11:8). 
   The government of Cush and Nimrod, begun at Babel, thus continued at Kish while the towns of Erech, Accad and Calneh were being built in the land of Shinar following the abortive attempt at Babel. The First Dynasty of Kish commenced 2256 — the date of the beginning of the construction of the tower of Babel. The dynasty continued to 1809 at which point the Second Dynasty of Kish began (see vol. II of the "Compendium" for proof). 
   The Second Dynasty ruled from 1809 to 1748.

History Continues at Erech

   The first city which Nimrod succeeded in building was Erech. The government of Cush and Nimrod extended over this city as well as over Kish, and its history is told in the surprising annals of the First Dynasty of Uruk or Erech. 
   From the "Sumerian King List", published by Thorkild Jacobsen, and accessible in Pritchard's often-quoted work, the first Dynasty of Uruk may be summarized as follows:

  
Sumerian Names      Lengths of Reigns        Notations in King    
of Rulers (some       in King List                List    
in fragmentary    
form)    
    
Mes-kiag-gasher       325 (in one text       Son of Utu, became    
                         read as 32(4),      high priest and king.    
                         see p. 85 of T.     Journeyed into the    
                         Jacobsen's          Sea and reached the    
                         "Sumerian King      Mountains beyond.    
                         List".)    
    
En-me(r)-kar          420                         Son of predecessor.    
                                             He built Erech.*    
    
Lugal-banda         1,200                    A god and shepherd.    
    
Dumu-zi               100                    A god and fisherman.    
    
Gilgamesh             126                    A divine man,    
                                             begotten by a spirit.    
                                             became a high priest    
Ur-lugal               30                    Son of Gilgamesh.    
    
Udul-kalamma           15    
    
Labasher                9    
    
En-nun-dar-anna         8    
    
Meshede                36                    A smith.    
    
Melam-anna              6    
    
Lugal-ki-dul           36    
  
          *Some tablets read: Under him Erech was built.    

   Though these names may, at first sight, be meaningless, five of the rulers are mentioned by other names in the Bible and a sixth — Gilgamesh — has already been alluded to in Egyptian history in this Compendium. 
   To break down this list one must commence from the known facts. Dumu-zi is a variant spelling of Tammuz, a Mesopotamian name of Nimrod. Nimrod succeeded his father Cush in Babylonia after a 60-year reign. The 60 year reign of Cush has been established as 2254-2194 (see the Egyptian history of Dynasty I of Thinis). The 100 years assigned to Nimrod are, like the records of Egypt, based upon the Era of Nimrod to the coming of his successor. Though Nimrod was executed after a reign of 27 years, his Era continued to year 100, and is to be dated 2194-2094. 
   What occurred in 2094? Who left Egypt in 2094 to come to the land of Shinar to claim the throne of Nimrod? Horus! 
   Thus Horus of Egypt is Gilgamesh of Mesopotamia. Each claimed to be heir of Nimrod. Both were born of a Queen of Heaven — Isis or Ishtar. Both had a "spirit" as a father — the supposed Nimrod alive as the impregnating sun. 
   Gilgamesh ruled in Mesopotamia, after he left Egypt, for another 126 years — 2094-1968. This brings us down to the lifetime of Abram! Gilgamesh lived to be almost 200 years of age. This is in complete harmony with the genealogy of the Bible for the same period (Genesis 11:10-32). 
   Gilgamesh was succeeded by Ur-lugal — a name which means "Great King." This Great King was ruler of Erech. Erech was in the land of Shinar. Whoever controlle Erech controlled Shinar. What was the personal name of this Great King who controlled Shinar in the days of Abram? Amraphel (Genesis 14:1). 
   Amraphel reigned 30 years before he was slain by Abram's army. The dates of Amraphel are 1968-1938. The struggle, recorded in Genesis 14 between Mesopotamian kings and the Canaanites therefore climaxed in 1938 with the death of four kings of Mesopotamia. When Assyrian history is studied this same year will be established for Arioch, king of Ellasar — that is, king of the City of Asar or Asshur 
   To return to the Sumerian King List. The predecessor of Dumu-zi (or Tammuz, who is Nimrod), is named Lugal-banda — a title meaning "Little King." He is Cush. Son Nimrod was, of course, the "Great King." The 1200 years assigned to Cush are a clever expansion (20 x 60) of the true figure of 60 years already established from other sources. The correct dates are 2254-2194. 
   But how are the two predecessors in the list — Mes-kiag-gasher and En-mer-kar — to be explained? Were they parallel rulers who also exercised authority in that world? 
   The mother of Gilgamesh — Semiramis or Ishtar — was at one time the wife of Lugal-banda — that is, Cush (Jacobsen, "Sumerian King List", page 91). She was also a wife and daughter-in-law of Asshur. The real grandfather of Gilgamesh, however, was not Cush, but En-mer-kar (Aelian in "De natura Animalium", vii, 21, quoted in Jacobsen's work on page 87). From these facts it is clear that the Dynasty of Erech is composed of two blood lines — that of Cush and that of Asshur. 
   In history there were three famous queens named Semiramis — each one claiming to be a Queen of Heaven. The last Semiramis claimed to be thrice born. Each one of them was an Assyrian queen. Does this indicate that En-mer-kar is the Sumerian form of the Semitic name of Asshur? In the King List it is stated either that Erech was built under the rule of En-mer-kar, or that it was built by En-mer-kar. In the Bible the builder is Nimrod. But Nimrod did not build it alone! For "out of that land" Shinar — where Erech is located — "went forth Asshur, and built Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah" (Genesis 10:11). This is the correct translation according to the vowel pointing of the Hebrew text. But the consonants, without the pointing, may be translated, "he" — that is, Nimrod, "went forth, being strong, and build Nineveh and Calah." The land of Assyria or Asshur is also the land of Nimrod (Micah 5:6). The original enterprise was a joint affair. 
   Cush was originally a prominant figure at Babel. But he was superseded by Nimrod, who gained the carnal affections of his own mother. Cush soon perished and the two dominant figures remaining were Asshur and Nimrod. Then Nimrod was driven from Mesopotamia to Egypt. Thus the entire history of the later world came to be dominated by the shadow of Asshur's children. 
   But if En-mer-kar is Asshur, the result is that Mes-kiag-gasher is the Sumerian name of Shem! Mes-kiag-gasher was in Sumerian parlance, the "son of Utu" — the God who warned Noah of the Flood. That is, he was a man who knew the God of creation. 
   Mes-kiag-gasher was also a high priest. From Egyptian records historians have discovered that Semsem — the Great Shem — of Dynasty I of Thinis was also pictured as a high priest! This famous man crossed from Asia over the water to the mountains of Europe. Shem travelled far and wide to put down the government of Nimrod. 
   Now consider the 325-year reign of Shem. When did it begin and when did it end? 
   In Egypt only a small part of his life story is revealed. But in the annals of Erech one sees Shem's great figure striding over three and a quarter centuries of history! Shem had no part in the government established at Babel in opposition to the rule of God. When the terror of Nimrod loomed great over the horizon, Shem acted. He exercised, after Nimrod's seizure of power, the administration of government beginning 2191 in Shinar as patriarch and priest of the Semitic world. His full 325 years of authority lasted from 2191 till his death in 1866. 
   This date — 1866 — is the exact year of the death of Shem in Scripture. According to Egyptian history the exodus occurred in 1486. This was exactly 430 years after the covenant God made with Abraham when he was 99 years old — it was not made at the time Abram entered the land at 75. (See Genesis 17:1-8, Exodus 12:40-41and Galatians 3:17.) The verb is not expressed in the original Hebrew of Exodus 12:40, which should properly be translated: "Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, completed four hundred and thirty years." 
   Calculating back from 1486, year 99 of Abraham was 1918-1917 autumn to autumn reckoning — for in the next spring, of 1916, Abraham was already 99 years old and in his hundredth year. Abraham was 75 when he departed from Haran following the death of his father in 1941 (Gen. 12:4). By adding the figures of the Genesis 11, from Terah to Arphaxad, the year 2367-2366 is reached (autumn to autumn). In that year — two years after the Flood — Arphaxad was begotten. Shem lived after he begot Arphaxad 500 years (Genesis 11:10-11). This 500 years extends from 2366 to 1866 — the very year Shem's 325-year reign ended, according to the evidence of the Erech list! 
   (The broken reading of 32(4) years. proposed by Sumeriologists, if correct, probably merely excludes the calendar year in which Shem died.) 
   The 420 years of En-mer-kar are also datable. The figure probably represents the length of time between the death of Asshur in 1906 (see German history in vol. II of the "Compendium") and his becoming a head of household in 2326, when age 40 (assuming he is a twin of Arphaxad who was born in 2366). 
   The First Dynasty of Uruk may now be restored as follows, beginning with Cush (Lugal-banda).

  
Names of Kings         Lengths of Reign            Dates    
    
Lugal-banda (Cush)            (60)                2254-2194    
    
Dumu-zi (Nimrod or            100                 2194-2094    
     Tammuz)    
    
Gilgamesh (Horus or           126                 2094-1968    
     Ninyas)    
    
Ur-lugal (Amraphel)            30                 1968-1938    
dies in Abram's year 78)    
    
Utul-kalamma                   15                 1938-1923    
    
Labasher                        9                 1923-1914    
    
En-nun-dara-anna                8                 1914-1906    
    
Meshede                        36                 1906-1870    
    
Melam-anna                      6                 1870-1864    
    
Lugal-ki-dul                   36                 1864-1828   

Berossus and Babylonian History

   The writings of Berossus, the contemporary of Manetho, are altogether lost. No valid dates of individual kings have been preserved by classic writers from Berossus.
   Berossus' first post-flood dynasty is completely distorted. It is said to be composed of 86 Chaldean kings who supposedly reigned about 34,000 years! This dynasty includes Evechous and Kosmabelos — Cush and Nimrod. The kings who composed the first dynasty were not successive but contemporary leaders who formed the first Democratic Council in history this side of the flood. Samuel Kramer, in his book "History Begins at Sumer", draws attention to the fact that the earliest records of democratic government are found in references to Shinar and the city of Kish.
   The other dynasties of Berossus strikingly confirm the Sumerian King List and Biblical history. The following chart is from Berossus' transcribers.

  
Dynasty II      8 Medes       224 years (the Armenian copy reads 234)    
    
Dynasty III    11 Chaldeans   NO YEARS ASSIGNED, AS DYNASTY    
                              WAS CONTEMPORARY. (In margin    
                              of Armenian version 48 years    
                              is noted.)    
    
Dynasty IV     49 Chaldeans   458 years    
    
Dynasty V       9 Arabians    245 years (Semiramis II    
                              reigned during this    
                              period.)    
    
Dynasty VI     45 Chaldeans   526 years to seizure of    
                              Babylonia by Pul.    

   The dates for these dynasties may easily be restored. Pul, in Babylonian history, is Tiglathpileser III. He seized the city of Babylon in 729, during the third year of the reign of Ukinzer. See the "Babylonian Chronicle", Col I. Tiglathpileser considered this his first year; the Babylonians considered it his accession year assigning it to Ukinzer. Ptolemy coupled them together and designated the period as that of Chinziros and Poros.

  
     Dynasty VI continued 526 years — 1255 to 729    
    
     Dynasty V for 245 years — 1500 to 1255    
    
     Dynasty IV for 458 years — 1958 to 1500    
    
     (Dynasty III for 48 years — 2006-1958)    
    
     Dynasty II for 234 years — 2192-1958    
                     or    
                    224 years — 2192-1968    

   The year 2192 marks not only the beginning of Nimrod's rule in Egypt, but also the Median seizure of Babylonia at the time Nimrod usurped Supreme authority at the dethroning of his father cush. This confirms Greek traditions that even Japetus (Japheth) opposed the Titans — the followers of Nimrod. The Medes, descendents of Japheth kept their power over Babylon for 224 years to 1968 — the year of the death of Gilgamesh. In another ten years (1968-1958) the Chaldeans regained full power.
   Those ten years and the previous 38 were times of great stress during which 11 Chaldean kings, including Gilgamesh, ruled contemporaneously as Berossus' Dynasty III — 2006-1958. The date 2006 is confirmed by the Persian account of Gilgamesh. Persian historians assign him only 38 years — 2006-1968 — the exact duration of his rule as part of Dynasty III of Berossus. (See Al Biruni's "Ancient Nations", page 99.) The remarkable agreement of all these figures, found among different nations, is proof that the historical data have never been totally lost.

Another Account of Earliest Dynasties

   As generally recorded, Berossus' First Dynasty begins with Cush and Nimrod; the Second Dynasty was Median. But Alexander Polyhistor and Abydenus preserve, from the most ancient records of the Temple of Belus at Babylon, an account of parallel rulers — five Chaldean kings who were in turn succeeded by no less than six Arabians (pre-Ishmaelites). The information may be obtained from Jackson's "Chronological Antiquities", Pages 233-235. These much-misunderstood dynasties — even Jackson did not understand their import — perfectly correspond with the restoration of the Dynasty of Erech already presented.

  
First Kings of the    Lengths of Reign          Dates    
Chaldeans after the    
Tower of Babel    
    
Porus                         35                   2254-2219    
    
Nechubes                      43                   2219-2176    
    
Abtus                         48                   2176-2128    
Oniballus                     40                   2128-2088    
    
Zinzirus                      45                   2088-2043    
                            (or 46)               (2088-2042)    

(Note that the 35 years — 2254-2219 — of Porus are also the same for Mizraim.)

  
Dynasty of Six Kings     Lengths of Reign            Dates    
of the Arabians    
    
Mardocentes                   45    
                            (or 44)               (2042-1998)    
    
Mardakos                      40                   1998-1958    

(the year 1958 marks the final expulsion of the Medes from Babylonia.)

  
Sisimardacus                  28                   1958-1930    
    
Nabius                        37                   1930-1893    
    
Parannus                      40                   1893-1853    
    
Nabonnabus                    25                   1853-1828    

   In 1828, "the Assyrian kings succeeded in the Babylonian Empire, and thenceforth Babylonia and Chaldea became a part of the Assyrian Empire" — Page 237, Jackson's "Chronological Antiquities". This is also the year of the defeat of Erech by Ur. Syncellus preserved a total of 190 years for the Chaldean kings, and not the above total of 211 — though his separate figures add up to 211! It is exactly 190 years from 2233 to 2043. The year 2233 was famous in Babylonian history as the beginning of astronomical observation. The Babylonians began their observations 1903 years before Alexander came to Babylon in 330.

First Dynasty of Ur and Successors

   The city of Ur in Babylonian history is not the Ur from which Abram came. Abram's Ur was Urfa in northern Mesopotamia, not on the fringes of Shinar.
   According to the Sumerian King List, the First Dynasty of Ur came to power at the close of the First Dynasty of Erech.

  
Names of Kings of         Lengths of Reign             Dates    
First Dynasty of Ur    
    
Mes-Anne-padda                80 (includes             1828-1748    
                               reign of son    
                               A-Anne-padda)    
    
Mes-kiag-Nunna                     30                  1748-1718    
                              (or 36)                  1748-1712    
    
Elulu                              25                  1718-1693    
    
Balulu                             36                  1693-1657    

   The significance of the 36 years of Mes-kiag-Nunna will be explained when the Dynasty of Akshak is restored. The proper dates of Dynasty I of Ur are those of the Nippur list, which gives the total as 171 — 1828-1657. (The Weld-Blundell Prism 444 adds the parallel reign of six years of Mes-kiag-Nunna to the total.)
   At the close of the First Dynasty of Ur the Sumerian King List carries the government to the city of Awan in Elam (see page 224 of Pallis' "Chronology of the Shub-Ad Culture"). Reference to three kings is made, but only a cuneiform remnant of the last king's name is preserved: Kul ... 36 years. The total length of the Dynasty is 356 years — 1657-1301. The date of the last king is therefore 1337-1301. A confirmation of these dates will be found in the succeeding history of the city of Isin and Dynasty III of Ur.
   Historically the date 1657 marks Elamite prominence in Southern Mesopotamia and throws important light on the early history of India.
   After Awan the Sumerian King List returns to Dynasty II of Kish. Though the names of the rulers of Kish during this period are preserved, the dates assigned to its rulers are extravagant — over 3000 years being designated to 8 kings. Kish II begins about the time of the reigns of Gilgamesh and Mes-anne-padda, whose lives overlapped; for the last king of Kish I submitted to both (see the Sumerian poem "Gilgamesh and Aqqa" in Pritchard's Texts). The true length of Dynasty II is confirmed by Kish III and IV which we will now establish.
   Listed after Kish II, though in part contemporary with it, is the Dynasty of Hamazi. Only one name of this dynasty is preserved: Hadanish. The total length of the dynasty is sometimes given as 360 years, sometimes as 420. It cannot be dated until Dynasty II and Dynasty III of Uruk are determined.
   The shattered list of Dynasty II of Uruk is in the prism given 60 years and 120 years. In other documents it ends a period of 480 years. There is a definite relationship between these figures and those of Hamazi. But Uruk II and Hamazi cannot be dated until Uruk III is established.
   From archaeology it is known that Uruk II was followed immediately by Uruk III — though the King List branches off into parallel dynasties. Uruk III is composed of one King Lugal-zaggisi, who reigned 25 years. Comparative archaeology establishes that he succeeded Ur I, 1828-1657. The date of king Lugal-zaggisi is therefore 1657-1632.
   As Uruk II preceded Uruk III, the 480 years extend back from 1657 to 2137. That is, the year 1657 ended an era of 480 years which began in 2137. As Uruk I ended in 1828, Uruk II lasted only 171 years 1828-1657. The figure 480 is not the length of the dynasty but the dating of an era. What happened in the year 2137? Isis (Ishtar or Semiramis) came to power after the 57-year era (2194-2137) of Nimrod. It was commonplace to date reigns in the "Era of Ishtar" (see Pritchard's "Texts", page 266, in Sargon's "Chronicle", and footnote 2). In chart form the figures for Uruk II are as follows.

  
     480 years — 2137-1657    
    
     120 years — 1777-1657    
    
      60 years — 1717-1657    

Now the Dynasty of Hamazi may be dated:

  
     360 years — 2137-1777    
    
     420 years — 2137-1717    

   Both these dynasties commenced with the Era of Ishtar. In another chart these two would appear as follows:

  
Hamazi                   360 years           2137-1777    
    
Uruk II                  120 years           1777-1657    
    
                         or    
    
Hamazi                   420 years           2137-1717    
    
Uruk II                   60 years           1717-1657    

   Skipping for the moment other parallel Dynasties, notice that Uruk III was succeeded by the Dynasty of Akkad. Uruk III — composed of one king Lugal-zaggisi — extended for 25 years to 1632.

Now Sargon of Akkad

   The greatest name in Babylonian history in this period is undoubtedly that of Sargon "the Great" — first king of the Akkadian Dynasty. The history of this dynasty has been confused by the Weld-Blundell Prism 444. The complete and correct record is that of the Nippur lists. Prism 444 is incomplete.

  
Names of Kings of     Lengths of Reign        Dates    
Dynasty of Akkad    
    
Sargon                        55             1632-1577    
    
Rimush                        15             1577-1562    
    
Manish-tusu                    7             1562-1555    
    
Naram-Sin                     56             1555-1499    
    
Sharkalisharri                24 or          1499-1475    
                              25             1500-1475    
    
Igigi, Nanum, Imi             3 years of     1475-1472    
                                confusion    
    
Dudu                          21             1472-1451    
    
Shudurul                      15             1451-1436    

   The reign of Sharkalisharri confirms Berossus, who dates the Arabian invasion in 1500. It toppled Naram-Sin from his power and brought his successor to a weakened throne. Naram-Sin died after one more year of reign. Rimush is the younger twin brother of Manish-tusu (Jacobsen, "Sumerian King List", p. 113). He overthrew an otherwise unknown Kaku of Ur.
   The Weld-Blundell Prism 444 is fractured in the middle of the history of this dynasty. However, its total indicates that Naram-Sin's reign is cut short and does not include part of the period of his subjection to the invading Guti hordes. It also gives different figures for the three early rulers as follows.

  
Sargon                             56 years            1633-1577    
    
Rimush                              9                  1577-1568    
    
Manish-tusu                        15                  1568-1553    

   Year 1633 is the accession year of Sargon.
   This document(W.-B. 444) by itself is not a proper standard for Babylonian history. It should be used in conjunction with the other lists rather than by itself as is customarily done by modern authors.

Dynasties IV and V of Erech

   The collapse of the Dynasty of Akkad brought Erech again into prominence. In the Scheil Text the Fourth Dynasty of Uruk is listed as follows:

  
Names of Kings of              Lengths of Reign           Dates    
Dynasty IV of Uruk              in Scheil Text    
    
Ur-Niginak                           3                 1436-1433    
    
Ur-Gigirak                           6                 1433-1427    
    
Kudda                                6                 1427-1421    
    
Puzur-ili                            5                 1421-1416    
    
Ur-Utuk                              6                 1416-1410    

   The Weld-Blundell prism assigns 7 years to the first king — 1440-1433.
   Fragment C of the Susa list of these kings follows (see "Journal of Near Eastern Studies", Apr. 1960, p. 157).

  
Name of Kings of              Lengths of Reign            Dates    
Dynasty IV of Uruk    
    
Ur-Gigirak                         15                  1442-1427    
    
Lugal-me-lam                        7                  1442-1435    
    
Ur-Utuk                            25                  1435-1410    

   In this list the contemporary reigns of Kudda and Puzur-ili are incorporated in the long reign of Ur-Utuk. As in Egyptian history, numerous rulers shared the government at the same time. In another fragment of the Susa list the following information is preserved for the first three kings:

  
Ur-Niginak                         30                  1472-1442    
    
Ur-Gigirak                         15                  1442-1427    
    
Lugal-me-lam                        7                  1442-1435    

   What is the significance of the year 1472? It is the end of three years of confusion (1475-1472) under the Akkadian Dynasty when four kings ruled. During that period it became proverbial to ask: "who was king? who was not?" Far from being bad scribal errors, these various figures for Dynasty IV of Uruk tell much of the story that is otherwise unpreserved. The real rise to power commenced in 1472, though the kings of Uruk did not replace the kings of Akkad until 1436.
   The kingship over Uruk was obtained in 1410 by Utuhegal, who constitutes Dynasty V. All documents agree in giving full 7 years to this short-lived Dynasty — 1410-1403. Utuhegal gained prominence at the beginning of his reign by overthrowing the Guti who had invaded Babylonia 125 years before, in 1535, and wrested complete control in a second attack in 1500 (see the dates from the W.-B. Prism 444).

The Guti Dynasty

   Berossus designates 1500 as the year in which an Arabian dynasty of 9 kings wrested control of Babylonia from the Chaldeans. Coupled with this invasion from Arabia was one from the east under the Guti. The Guti Dynasty is not complete in any one document, but may be determined from a comparison of each of the documents. Its first King is nowhere preserved in the King Lists, but an otherwise unknown king of the Guti has been found. As he is the only Guti king known to have usurped the titles of Naram-Sin, it is quite clear that he — Erridupizir — should head the list as the leader in the initial attack on Akkad in 1535. (Jacobsen's , "King List", p. 117, from Hilprecht's "The Earliest Version of the Babylonian Deluge Story and The Temple Library of Nippur". Pennsylvania Univ. Babylonian Expedition, Series D: Researches and Treatises V 1 (1910), chap. 4.)
   The initials in brackets in the following list indicate the source of the different reading. Their significance will be explained afterward.

  
Kings of the Guti          Lengths of Reign          Dates    
    
(Erridupizir)                 (33 — restored      1535-1502    
                              by subtraction    
                              from dynastic    
                              totals)    
    
Imta                            3                 1502-1499    
                                5 (L1)            1504-1499    
    
Inkishush                       6 or              1499-1493    
                                7 (L1)            1500-1493    
    
Sarlagab                        6                 1493-1487    
    
Shulme (or Iarlagash in L1)     6                 1487-1481    
    
Elulumesh                       7 (G)             1481-1474    
                                or 6              1481-1475    
    
Inimabakesh                     5                 1474-1469    
    
Igeshaush                       6                 1469-1463    
    
Jarlagab                       15                 1463-1448    
    
Ibate                           3                 1448-1445    
    
Jarla(ngab)                     3                 1445-1442    
    
Kurum                           1                 1442-1441    
    
Habilkin                        3                 1441-1438    
    
Laerabum                        2                 1438-1436    
    
Irraum                          2                 1436-1434    
    
Ibranum                         1                 1434-1433    
    
Hablum                          2                 1433-1431    
    
Puzur-Sin                       7                 1431-1424    
    
Jarlaganda                      7                 1424-1417    
    
Sium                            7                 1417-1410    
    
Tirigan                       40 days                  1410    

   The second king is, in one tablet, assigned 5 years instead of 3. This indicates that Erridupizir may have reigned the last two years (1504-1502) jointly with Imta. The different lengths assigned to the reign of the third king — Inkishush — exactly fits the years 1500 and 1499 which overlap in the account of the Akkadian Dynasty. The variation in the reign of Elulumesh, the sixth king, is again made plain by the struggle for power recorded in the Akkadian Dynasty for 1475-1472. The king's total reign was 7 years, but only six to the year 1475, when the struggle for power in Babylonia commenced.

Three Other Dynasties

   The coming of the Guti into Babylonia brought further division to the land. At the city of Ur a new Dynasty rose to power and lasted 108 years according to the Nippur List. The total for the Dynasty is missing from the document, but the total for Dynasties I, II and III is plainly given as 396. Dynasty I ruled 171 years; Dynasty III, 117, as will be noticed shortly. These two figures, subtracted from 396, leave 108.
   The royal names of this dynasty are nearly illegible, and no internal dates are preserved. The Dynasty may be dismissed with the dates: 1535-1427.
   In 1427 the Dynasty of Adab succeeded Ur II according to the Sumerian King List. It exercised authority in Babylonia for 90 years — until 1337. The only name of a king of this Dynasty is that of Lugal-Annemundu. The collective verb — "they reigned" — indicates other names are lost.
   At the same time that Ur II lost control to the city of Adab, another city, far distant, on the Middle Euphrates, came into power. It was the city of Ma (e) ri. Mari later became famous as a town bordering on Israel's territory on the Euphrates. The Mari Dynasty, placed after Adab in the King Lists, was, in point of fact, contemporary. It lasted 136 years — 1427-1291. All that has been thus far discovered of its rulers is a tattered document that looks like the following:

  
Fragmentary Names           Lengths of Reign       Dates    
of Mari Kings    
    
Ansud                          30                  1427-1397    

   Total: six kings for 136 years.

   The year 1291 will become significant in the study of Kish IV.

Dynasty III of Ur

   Meanwhile the city of Ur revived and another powerful dynasty came to power — the Third. This dynasty was made famous by Woolley's excavations at Ur. It succeeded Dynasty V of Erech, and reigned for 117 years according to the Nippur List. Its first king once was functionary of Utuhegal before Ur rebelled and seized political prominence. Utuhegal (Uruk V) ruled 1410-1403.

  
Kings of Dynasty III          Lengths of Reign          Dates    
of Ur according to    
the Nippur List    
    
Ur-Nammu                           18                  1403-1385    
    
Shulgi (often spelled: Dungi)      58                  1385-1327    
    
Amar-Sin (often spelled: Bur-Sin)   9                  1327-1318    
    
Shu-Sin                             7                  1318-1311    
    
Ibbi-Sin                           25                  1311-1286    

   Fragment C of the Susa List has a different account of this Dynasty. This account is usually rejected, merely because it is different from the preceding one.
   But in it is a key to yet a third account of the same dynasty! The duration of Ur III was 117 years — 1403-1286.

  
Kings of Dynasty III       Lengths of Reign      Dates    
of Ur according to    
Susa List    
    
Ur-Namme                      18             1403-1385    
    
Shulgi                        48             1385-1337    
    
Amar-Sin                      25             1339-1314    
    
Shu-Sin                       16             1318-1302    
    
Ibbi-Sin                      15             1302-1287    

   This list does not include the last year of Ibbi-Sin, during which he was carried captive to Elam. But, as in the Nippur List, it does include that year in its dynastic total (123 years), which is one year more than the total assigned to all the kings (122 years).*
   The 48-year reign of Shulgi assigned in the Susa List stops in 1337. This date is significant. It marks the end of the Adab Dynasty (already discussed). It also is the beginning of the reign of "Kul scribe recording the Susa List does not give the last 10 years of Shulgi as it is incorporated in the long reign of Amar-Sin.
   The Weld-Blundell Prism 444 differs from either preceding list in its length of the reign of Shulgi, which it gives as 46 — 1385-1339. This dating provides the clue to the proper beginning of the 25-year reign of Amar-Sin as recorded in the Susa List. Also, W.-B 444 shortens the reign of Ibbi-Sin to 24 years — 1311-1287, ending it in the same year as the Susa scribe does. That is, it does not include the last year in which the king was taken captive. It also assigns 9 years to Shu-Sin, probably the 9 years from 1311 (when Ibbi-Sin came to power) to the year 1302 (the last year of Shu-Sin in the Susa List).

   (*Note: dynastic total of 123 years includes coregencies.)

Dynasty of Isin

   During the reign of Ibbi-Sin of Ur the Elamites made inroads into the land of Shinar. This is the time that Elamite Awan dominated part of Babylonia under its last king.
   The question of the corresponding years between Ibbi-Sin of Ur III and Ishbi-Irra, first king of Isin, has led to many learned articles in all the journals on Near Eastern Studies. The question cannot be determined by itself. Vital information is missing for the earliest years of Ishbi-Irra. The problem can be resolved, however, when combining the known facts with the information contained in Dynasty IV of Kish. Why no historian has ventured to correlate Kish with both dynasties is a mystery: If they had done so, they would have resolved the difficulties.
   The following outline history of the Dynasty of Isin begins with the correlation of Ibbi-Sin's year 24 with Ishbi-Irra's year 14, and year 25 of Ibbi-Sin with year 15 of Ishbi-Irra. This correlation is one of several possibilities commonly espoused. It is, however, the only one which harmonizes with the history of Kish IV — a fact to be proved in a succeeding section.

  
Kings of Isin             Lengths of Reign              Dates    
    
Ishbi-Irra                         33                  1301-1268    
    
Shu-ilishu                         10                  1268-1258    
    
I(d)din-Dagan                      21                  1258-1237    
    
Ishme-Dagan                        20                  1237-1217    
    
Lipit-Ishtar                       11                  1217-1206    
    
Ur-Ninurta                         28                  1206-1178    
    
Bur-Sin                            21                  1178-1157    
    
Lipit-Enlil                         5                  1157-1152    
    
Irra-imitti                         8                  1152-1144    
    
Enlil-bani                         24                  1144-1120    
    
Zambia                              3                  1120-1117    
    
Iter-pisha                          4                  1117-1113    
    
Ur-Dukuga                           4                  1113-1109    
    
Sin-magir                          11                  1109-1098    
    
Damiq-ilishu                       23                  1098-1075    

   In 1075 Damiq-ilishu was overthrown by Rimsin of Larsa, who was in turn overthrown by Hammurabi.
   The above list is the recognized standard for the Dynasty of Isin. Minor variations occur in two documents discussed in the "Journal of Cuneiform Studies", VIII, 4, "New Lists of the Kings of Ur and Isin." In them the year in which Ishbi-Irra came to power is treated as the accession year — only 32 are assigned him. Ishme-Dagan is given 19 instead of 20, but Bur-Sin is assigned 22 instead of 21. In other documents the last year of Irra-imitti is replaced by a ursurper.

Dynasty IV of Kish and the "400 Years"

   The records of Dynasty IV of Kish are so divergent — and unusual — that no historian or archaeologist would accept them. "Corrupt," "worthless," are the common epithets applied. No one has tested the evidence to see if the accounts are, in fact, true'!
   In the Scheil Text (left) and the Weld-Blundell Prism 444 (right) Dynasties III and IV of Kish appear as follows:

  
Names of Rulers               Scheil Text              W.-B 444    
    
(Dynasty III)    
Ku-Baba, a queen              100 years                 —    
    
(Dynasty IV)    
Puzur-Sin                      25 years                 25 years    
    
Ur-Zababa                       6 years                400 years    
    
Simudar                        30 years                 30 years    
    
Usiwatar                        6 years                  7 years    
    
Ishtarmuti                     11 years                 11 years    
    
Ishme-Shamash                  11 years                 11 years    
    
Nannia                          3 years                  7 years    
  
Total 28 kings — 586 years.    

   The 586 years of the Scheil Text includes the 400 not listed, minus the 6 which is listed: 100 plus 25 plus (400) plus 30 plus 6 plus 11 plus 11 plus 3 equals 586.
   Now compare this with the evidence of the Susa Text. Notice the changed order of kings.

  
Puzur-Sin                      25 years    
    
Ur-Zababa                     400 years    
    
Usiwatar                        6 years    
    
Ishtar-muti                    11 years    
    
Ishme-Shamash                  11 years    
    
Shu-ilishu                     15 years    
  
Simudar                        30 years    

   Who is this Shu-ilishu?
   "This king can be no other than the well known Shu-ilishu of Igin and, comparing the account of the Isin dynasty ... we may perhaps assume that the copyist had a loose, unplaced fragment ..." — and thus Thorkild Jacobsen suggests that a King of Isin was misplaced by a stupid scribe into the Kish IV Dynasty! (See page 108 of his "Sumerian King List", footnote 228.)
   First, consider the mysterious 400 years. This period begins with the end of the reign of Puzur-Sin. The 6 years of Ur-Zababa (in the Schell Text) are a part of the 400 of the other texts. A break in the continuity of the dynasty is clearly indicated by this unusual figure.
   Next, consider the close of the dynasty. One list ends with Nannia — the other with Simudar. Now to assemble these divergent facts.
   Shu-ilishu reigned 10 years after Ishbi-Irra according to the Isin dynastic list. His dates: 1268-1258. The W.-B Prism 444 states Shu-ilishu's total reign as 20 years, but does not count the first 10 in its total. In the Kish list from Susa his reign is given as 15 — that is, 1273-1258. The following charts indicate how the remaining kings fit around the reign of Shu-ilishu.

  
Names of Kings                Lengths of Reign           Dates    
    
Usiwatar                            7                  1291-1284    
    
Ishtarmuti                         11                  1284-1273    
    
Ishme-Shamash                      11                  1273-1262    
    
Nannia                              7                  1262-1255    
    
                              or    
    
Ishtar-muti                        11                  1284-1273    
    
Shu-ilishu                         15                  1273-1258    
    
Nannia                              3                  1258-1255    
    
                              and    
    
Usiwatar                            6                  1291-1285    
    
Simudar                            30                  1285-1255    

   What is the significance of the dates 1291 and 1255? The year 1291 is the date of the overthrow of Mari and the return of the old royal family of Kish to power. And the year 1255 is the date of return of the Chaldeans to power according to Berossus!
   Now place the end of the 400 years in 1255. The beginning of the 400 years brings us to 1655. The 6 years of Ur-Zababa therefore extend from 1655 to 1649. This is shortly before the reign of Sargon "the Great" of Akkad. When Sargon was young he served as cupbearer to Ur-Zababa! (Pallis, "Chronology of Shub-Ad Culture", p. 360). Thus the 400 years have significance after all!
   The reign of Puzur-Sin covers the preceding 25 years: 1680-1655.
   But why should Kish IV have ended abruptly in 1649 and Ur-Zababa been slain? Archaeology answers: Lugal-zaggisi of Erech III overthrew Kish. The inhabitants were sent into exile. Years later Sargon restored the inhabitants to their estates: "Sargon, king of Agade, ... king of Kish .... restored Kish, he ordered them to take again possession of their city" (Pritchard's "Texts", p. 267).
   The year 1649 is also of unusual significance in the history of India. IN THE WINTER OF 1650-1649 THE ASSYRIANS WERE DEFEATED ON THE BORDERS OF INDIA, resulting in collapse of Assyrian confederates in Mesopotamia.

Dynasty of Akshak

   At the time Kish was overthrown Akshak was defeated also. The Dynasty of Akshak appears next.

  
Kings of Akshak           Lengths of Reign       Dates    
    
Unzi                          30                   1748-1718    
    
Undalulu                      12                   1718-1706    
                            (or 6)                (1712-1706)    
    
Ur-ur                          6                   1706-1700    
    
Puzur-Sahan                   20                   1700-1680    
    
Ishuil                        24                   1680-1656    
    
Gimil-Sin                      7                   1656-1649    
                           (or 24)                (1656-1632)    

   Several of the dates are paralleled with others in contemporary dynasties. Year 1748 marks the end of the long reign of Mes-Anne-pada of Dynasty I or Ur. The short reign of 6 years for Uhdalulut second king of Akshak, explains the extra 6 years of Mes-kiag-Nunna of Ur I. In chart form the two kings' reigns appear thus:

  
Mes-kiag-Nunna                30                   1748-1718    
                                                     (Ur I)    
    
Undalulu                      12                   1718-1706    
                                                     (Akshak)    
    
                              or    
    
Mes-kiag-Nunna                36                   1748-1712    
    
Undalulu                       6                   1712-1706    

   But the relationship does not end here. Under Akshak's king Puzur-Sahan aging Queen Ku-Baba of Kish III gained unusual reputation for her "pious deeds." As a result her son Puzur-Sin came to royal estate upon the death of Puzur-Sahan in 1680. (See Pallis' "Shub-Ad Culture", pp. 359-360.) Notice that in the restoration of Kish IV the year 1680 is already marked as the commencement of the reign of Puzur-Sin, the son of Queen Ku-Baba! Here again is harmony among contemporary dynasties. Though Akshak lost power in 1649 the last king, Gimil-Sin (1656-1649), is assigned in the Susa List a total reign of 24 years (1656-1632) to the reign of Sargon of Akkad.

Dates of Queen Ru-Baba

   Only one more Dynasty needs to be firmly established — Kish III. Kish III is famous for a one-time woman wine merchant who became Queen. Her son and grandson ruled during her late years as the first two Kings of Kish's Dynasty IV. Since Dynasty III of Kish is at times listed first and on occasion later than the Dynasty of Akshak, it must have begun at the same time as Akshak. The dates of Kish III are therefore 1748-1648. Who the husband or the father of Queen Ku-Baba may have been is not stated in the lists. That she continued one year after the death (in 1649) of Ur-Zababa, her grandson, is clear from the statement of Sargon. He claims that she adopted him as her own son in place of her own heir now dead (S. Lloyd, "Mesopotamia", page 140).
   It becomes clear with this restoration that Dynasties I and II of Kish are limited to the time between 2254 and 1748, with Kish I ending in the days of Gilgamesh.
   With this account the clouded history of Babylonia to the era of Hammurabi closes. It is a period of nearly twelve centuries of strife division and wars.