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In ancient Sumer and Akkad there were three terms most commonly applied to rulers: ''en, ensik, and Lugal. Lugal, literally translated to "big man", encompasses a more secular and military kingship, whereas en'' represents a priestly figure. Not entirely different from en and lugal, an ensik was a governor of a specific city, operating under the authority of a lugal or en that controlled multiple polities. However, some maintain that they were simply three different regional titles for rulers.

Ancient Sumerian Historical Documents
Few records of ancient Sumerian kings have survived to present, the most famous of these being the Sumerian King List (SKL). Several different manuscripts of the SKL have been discovered since the first fragment was translated in 1906 by Hermann Hilprecht, the oldest of which derives from the Neo-Sumerian Period Apart from the SKL, numerous old Babylonian chronicles and Assyrian chronicles attempt to trace the history of notable temples or kingship through time. In the Esagila Chronicle (Weidner Chronicle) the author concerns himself with the supply of fish offerings to the Esagil, recording this history as far back as the Early Dynastic Period (Mesopotamia). The chronicle notes multiple early kings and their relationship with the shrine; some have called it the "first Mesopotamian textbook on the idea of history". More akin to the SKL, the Dynastic Chronicle, discovered in the library of Ashurbanipal, traces the history of the earliest Mesopotamian dynasties from creation.

Uruk to Early Dynastic I Periods
The following list of rulers may be incomplete. Since the Sumerian King List can not be used as a source for the reconstruction of Sumerian history, it only includes archaeologically verifiable kings from contemporary inscriptions or chronicles of later Babylonian and Assyrian chronicles.