Genre of mystery that works – 12th Planet by Zecharia Sitchin

I’m a believer in the mystical, because that which is mystical is something we still have not explained. Even if we cannot control the mysteries in life and even if there is a greater power, there will be ways to illustrate and communicate mysteries. I’d like to go into the ancient alien theory in this post, regarding Zecharia Sitchin. Why are his books and the likes of Erich Von Däniken so popular? There are som many out there and in that field which is not invited into the scientific lounge, too many aspects are mixed. Everything from ancient advanced civilizations, ancient aliens, giants, lay lines, spirits, shapeshifters and the list could go on. There is absolutely more in further discoveries at the ancient sites, texts and tales. But there should be a line crossed. I’ve read the 12th Planet by Zecharia Sitchin and want to tell about it, and also explain the way I think it appeals to readers.

Here is a man that has spent his life researching the ancient Sumerian civilization. That place which is considered to be the cradle of modern way of life. The Sumerians had good knowledge about astronomy, the spherical shape of our earth, the sun being in the center of our solar system. All these observations we learn came from Copernicus, the father of modern astronomy. Sitchin tells us how Copernicus instead researched older texts that had already explained how to better understand the heavenly bodies – with the sun in the center and the planets orbiting. Sometime 2000 years before Copernicus the ancient greek astronomers Hipparchus and Eudoxus had already brought this theory on the table. These two lived in the near east Asia (Lebanon etc.) and Sitchin writes they must have learned this from even older Sumerian sources. Hipparchus did use Sumerian sources for his discovery of the precession of the equinoxes, as he compared the data from earlier sources. Those records must have been very old, since one cycle of a precession is 2166 years, and a full for the 12 signs is 26 000 years. Meaning in Sitchens view, very well documented observations existed way back in history. Just to be precise here, a precession is a cycle for a sign, say Taurus, to shift month. Now the Taurus is coming up with the sun in the month of May, but 2000 years ago that would have been in April.

To mention, there were others who also did amazing calculations back in those days – to name Eratosthenes (276 B.C – 195/4 B.C) who calculated the circumference of our earth. Already then understanding of our place in the universe was sought after and to great extent, accomplished.

Reading about this is exciting and wheather or not one takes is for facts, Sitchin makes the world in which we live in become more of a fantasy story, through his book. Where long gone history is brought to our present and proposing a future were all events will be connected. That is the magic in this work for any reader. Sitchin puts the history in his interpretation and lays out for the reader theories, tales and maps. Just like a fantasy book. The attraction lies in that his work could be true, even if a small piece it is, that would be an amazing impact on human history. Compared to a fantasy or sci-fi book, his and other works alike do have a chance to prove themselves. There is still real world reference to all points. Nevertheless, the research of Sitchin is acknowledged and there is much more to it.

Like these maps of ancient flight paths and landing sites for the Annunaki visitors. The cities in on this line are in a 45 degree angle to the Ararat meridian. These kind of, and similar, interpretations are to be found in the 12th Planet.

To illustrate more of the content, here is a plate that Sitchen says is some kind of message. Just like the ones Pioneer and Voyager have with them. The minimal lines and shapes correspond to what could be maps, instructions, scientific informations and so on. What is there to discover here?

The last thing I want to bring out from this book, and the most interesting, is the way the Sumerian creation story preceds the stories in the bible. This is a part of the book that Sitchin delivers very well told. Utnapishtim is the person Noah’s story is based on. Adapa is known for most as Adam. Adom in hebrew means red, which is from the original word for blod “adamu”. Therefor Adam was made of blood. The visiting Nephilim created man after their own image. Sitchin theory is that Nephilim created mankind from a mix of homo erectus and Nephilim, in which they after many trial and errors were successful. “God created man in his own image”.

As any good sci-fi it cannot be optimistic, it will always work with possible amplifications of what events and technologies will bring upon us. As I read Sitchens work, the main characters did not seem so mature to be a space traveling people. But why should they? Maybe space travel won’t guarantee a better and more mature mankind? For Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica fans, you know how the Star Trek is more how we would like it to be – while Battlestar Galactica is more about what we really are, in leather or in space.

Here are photos of Sumerian objects from Pergamon museum in Berlin.