Ubara-tutu (or Ubartutu) of Shuruppak was the last antediluvian king of Sumer. He was said to have reigned for 18,600 years (5 sars and 1 ner). He was the son of En-men-dur-ana, a Sumerian mythological figure often compared to Enoch, as he entered heaven without dying. Ubara-Tutu was the king of Sumer until a flood swept over his land, like Emperor Yao and Methuselah.[1]
After the deluge, the kingship was reestablished in the northern city of Kish, according to the Sumerian king list.
Ubara-tutu is briefly mentioned in tablet XI of the Epic of Gilgamesh. He is identified as the father of Utnapishtim, a character who is instructed by the god Ea to build a boat in order to survive the coming flood.[2]
See also
References
- ^ Pritchard, James B. (ed.), Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1955, 1969). 1950 1st edition at Google Books. p.44: "...a flood [will sweep] over the cult-centers; to destroy the seed of mankind; is the decision, the word of the assembly [of the gods]."
- ^ George, Andrew R. (2003). The Epic of Gilgamesh: The Babylonian Epic Poem and Other Texts in Akkadian and Sumerian. Penguin Classics. ISBN 9780241289907.
| Preceded by En-men-dur-ana of Sippar | 8th King of Sumer before ca. 2900 BC or legendary | Succeeded by Ngushur of Kish |
| Unknown | Ensi of Shuruppak before ca. 2900 BC or legendary | city flooded |