Anunnaki

Q: Who are the Anunnaki?

The Anunnaki are a class of Mesopotamian deities , and their exact composition and function vary based on context and time period. In Sumerian texts the term Anunnaki can be used to describe the highest gods in the Mesopotamian pantheon as a whole or to describe the high gods of a particular city. In the Ur III through Old Babylonian periods (corresponding with roughly the late third through mid-second millennium bce), the term was at times associated with gods in both the heavens and the netherworld. After the Old Babylonian period, the Anunnaki were more firmly thought to be a group of netherworld gods and were contrasted with another group of gods, the Igigi.

Q: Which gods are members of the Anunnaki?

Although some modern commentators have speculated on certain gods belonging to the Anunnaki , no Sumerian or Akkadian texts ascribe specific gods to this group. Another complicating factor to compiling a list of Anunnaki gods is that the term was flexible and likely referred to different groups of gods in different contexts. For example, the Descent of Inanna to the Underworld discusses the Anunnaki as seven judges, while the Enuma elish refers to a group of 600 gods.

Q: Are the Anunnaki in the Bible?

No, the Anunnaki do not appear in the Bible . Rather, the Anunnaki feature in Mesopotamian mythology and appear in texts written both in Sumerian and in Akkadian . While some have sought to connect the Anunnaki with the Nephilim that appear briefly in several passages of the Bible, the descriptions of these two groups do not overlap. The Anunnaki are described as gods who serve as judges or the deciders of fate in Mesopotamian literature, whereas the Nephilim are described as being of unusually large size and strength, with no mention of a decision-making function.

Mesopotamian mythology

Also known as: Annunaki, Anunaki, Anunna, Anunnaku

Written by

L. Sue Baugh

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Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 13, 2026 •History

Who are the Anunnaki?

Which gods are members of the Anunnaki?

Are the Anunnaki in the Bible?

Anunnaki, class of gods within the ancient Mesopotamian pantheon. The precise meaning of the term (“princely seed” in Sumerian) remains ill-defined, as the number and identity of these gods, as well as their functions, vary over time and between texts.

While some modern commentators have ascribed particular gods to the Anunnaki, no known ancient text names particular gods as part of this group. In Sumerian texts the term’s meaning is contextual, referring equally to the highest gods of the pantheon of all Mesopotamia as to the high gods of a particular city. While the group appears in a limited number of curse formulas and incantations, it is mentioned predominantly in literary texts.

In the Sumerian-language Mesopotamian mythology of the early second millennium bce, the main functions of the Anunnaki were as judges and the deciders of human destiny. Enki and the World Order depicts them as great gods who live among the people of Sumer and determine their fates. They are also associated with the underworld in Sumerian literature, as seen in the Descent of Inanna to the Underworld. In the epic the goddess Inanna crosses into the realm of the dead, seeking to overthrow her sister, the queen of the dead. The Anunnaki step forward to judge her for her audacity.

The connection between the Anunnaki and the underworld continues into Akkadian literature. The Old Babylonian Enuma elish shows the chief Babylonian god Marduk having authority over some 600 Anunnaki gods. He directs 300 of these gods to deal with affairs in the heavens and 300 to preside over the netherworld. After this period the term Anunnaki appears to refer to gods of the underworld. They are often contrasted with another group of gods, the Igigi.

Evidence for the worship of the Anunnaki is limited to a few administrative texts that show them receiving offerings in the Ur III period.