was succeeded by Alalgar, who in turn reigned for 36000 years. However, the contents of the Sumerian King List are assumed to not reflect historical reality, and cannot be used to reconstruct early Mesopotamian chronology. There is no evidence that the figure of Alulim was incorporated into it from a preexisting older source. A different tradition about the length of his reign is preserved in the Ballad of Early Rulers, which states that he ruled for 36000 years. According to Irving Finkel, other similar texts give further variant figures, such as 36200 years (tablet BM 40565) or 67200 years (tablet WB 62). Miscellaneous attestations A manuscript of the Sumerian flood myth from Ur first published in 2018 describes the appointment of Alulim. It has been interpreted as an etiology of the institution of kingship, with the first ruler being chosen from among mankind to act as the shepherd of the early, still animalistic humans, thus leading to the development of human civilization. The gods responsible for Alulim's appointment in this text are An, Enlil and Enki, who are also credited with assigning his name to him. Jeremiah Peterson notes that the grammar of the passage might not designate him as a human, which could indicate that in this context Alulim is not a personal name, but merely a description of the entity chosen to act as a ruler. In the Ballad of Early Rulers, a composition noted for its large number of allusions to other works of Mesopotamian literature, Alulim is listed among famous ancient figures alongside Etana, Gilgamesh, Ziusudra, Humbaba, Enkidu, Bazi and Zizi. The fact that kings associated both with southern cities, such as Alulim, and ones at home in the north, such as Etana, are mentioned side by side might indicate that it was composed during the period of exodus of scribes from south to north in the Old Babylonian period. Bendt Alster compares this text to a drinking song and notes it appears to enumerate renowned legendary figures in seemingly humorous context, in order to explain the need to find joy in the present. Alulim is also attested in Neo-Babylonian incantations against field pests, acknowledge him as a “king from before the deluge”, though in this context he is also addressed as the creator of insects. He is described as capable of expelling them with a wand, and as responsible for the weeding of fields belonging