[Victariongreyjoy]

The most likely explanation is that Numenorean history has, in fact, been compressed. It's possible that they removed some kings, but it,s far more likely that they reduced Numenorean lifespans, so the early kings would still have unnaturally long lifetimes by human standards (Elros still over 200 years, many of the early kings well into their 130s), rapidly dwindling to human lifespans once they rejected the Valar (lifespans still above 100 years before they embraced Adunaic names, but fading to 70s-90s afterward). Just my theory.