Analysis of the Twelfth Planet Free Essays

string(78) the Mesopotamian divine committee and its other eleven (upper tier) members. The Myth of a twelfth Planet: A Brief Analysis of Cylinder Seal VA 243 Michael S. Heiser Ph. D. We will compose a custom paper test on Examination of the Twelfth Planet or on the other hand any comparable theme just for you Request Now applicant, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages University of Wisconsin-Madison Introduction Readers of Zecharia Sitchin’s books, especially The twelfth Planet, will perceive the above seal, VA 243 (so named on the grounds that it is number 243 in the assortment of the Vorderasiatische Museum in Berlin). This seal is the focal point of Sitchin’s hypothesis that the Sumerians had progressed galactic information on the planetary bodies in our nearby planetary group. This information was purportedly given to the Sumerians by extraterrestrials, whom Sitchin distinguishes as the Anunnaki divine forces of Sumero-Mesopotamian folklore. In the upper left-hand corner of the seal, Sitchin contends, one sees the sun encompassed by eleven globes. Since antiquated people groups (counting the Sumerians as indicated by Sitchin) held the sun and moon to be â€Å"planets,† these eleven globes in addition to the sun signify twelve planets. Obviously, since we currently know about nine planets in addition to our sun and moon, some portion of Sitchin’s contention is that the Sumerians knew about an additional planet past Pluto. This additional planet is considered by Sitchin to be Nibiru, a cosmic body referenced in Mesopotamian writings. Sitchin’s works detail his conflict that Nibiru goes through our nearby planetary group at regular intervals, thus a few devotees to Sitchin’s hypothesis battle that Nibiru will return soon. A few supporters of Sitchin’s thoughts additionally allude to Nibiru as â€Å"Planet X†. Is Sitchin right †in entire or to a limited extent? Is Nibiru a twelfth planet that will before long return? Does VA243 demonstrate his proposition? Tragically for Sitchin and his devotees, the response to every one of these inquiries is no. This paper will concentrate on the core of his hypothesis, VA243. Nibiru is the subject of another paper on my site. Technique and Approach The investigation of chamber seals is really an extremely particular sub-discipline inside Sumerology and Assyriology. an It is conceivable to decide, through the endeavors of chamber seal masters of the ongoing past and momentum specialists, to definitively say that Sitchin’s translation of this seal is profoundly defective and needs academic legitimacy. To put it plainly, his hypothesis is bogus and is unsupported by the seal itself. In the conversation that follows, I will show that VA243 not the slightest bit bolsters Sitchin’s thoughts. My reasons/lines of contention for this are: 1) The engraving on the seal (left hand and right hand sides †which are not talked about by Sitchin) says nothing regarding planets or any component of stargazing. As opposed to offering a free interpretation, I will concede to experts on Sumerian seal engravings in such manner to maintain a strategic distance from any charge of predisposition. 2) The affirmed â€Å"sun† image on the seal isn't the sun. We know this since it doesn't fit in with the reliable delineation of the sun in many other chamber seals and instances of Sumero-Mesopotamian fine art. I will portray the average delineation (decided with assurance since it shows up with writings about the sun god [Shamash Akkadian, known as Utu in Sumerian]) and give picture models. Sources are given to perusers to check for themselves. The â€Å"sun† image is really a star (which in Mesopotamian craftsmanship could have, at least six generally, eight focuses). In case the cutting edge peruser counter that â€Å"well, the sun is a star,† I offer a few pictures where the star image and the sun image (which once more, isn't that in VA243) are one next to the other and unmistakable from each other. The Sumerians and Mesopotamians recognized the sun from stars by utilizing various images †and connecting every image with the sun god and different divine beings, separately. There is basically no old Sumero-Akkadian proof to help Sitchin’s distinguishing proof. 3) If the â€Å"sun† isn't the sun, at that point what are the specks? The specks are likewise stars, as is best outlined by the Sumerian-Mesopotamian portrayal of the Pleaides (seven dabs together with sensible galactic precision since they are noticeable to the unaided eye). b The Pleaides are really one of the most as often as possible delineated cosmic highlights in SumeroMesopotamian workmanship. As Sitchin calls attention to (and this is substantiated by real researchers in the field †it’s basic information), stars were related with or viewed as eminent creatures †divine beings. In Sumero-Mesopotamian work of art, a star speaks to either a divine being or a cosmic body. The equivalent can be said of the sun †it can either reference the strict sun or the sun god. There are three prospects regarding what VA243 is portraying: (An) It is singling out a god or unique star and connecting it with different stars in a type of zodiacal portrayal. I don’t consider this reasonable on the grounds that there are other far more clear portrayals of zodiacal heavenly bodies. Except if there are clear zodiacal undertones, a star was emblematic of a divinity, which carries us to the subsequent choice. (B) More likely is the possibility that the focal star represents a divinity that has some relationship with richness (as in crops) since the engraving portrays a contribution made by an admirer (who is named) to a situated god who is related in the seal with fruitful gather. Since there are two different figures in the seal notwithstanding the situated god, and one is the offerer, the rest of the figure is likely a divinity additionally connected with the contribution. For this chance are the â€Å"implements† a A great general presentation is Dominique Collon, Cylinder Seals. I am not saying the star is delineated in the midst of the Pleiades, just that the creative portrayal of the Pleiades gives a magnificent case of â€Å"dots† = stars. The Pleiadean delineation is constantly seven spots/stars. b appeared on the seal as for these two figures confronting the situated god and the figure’s crown. Additionally in support of its is the way that there are actually several such â€Å"offering seals,† and many have a star in upper vicinity to the figures’ heads, meaning the figure is a divinity (see the model). C) Since the star is encircled by eleven different stars (specks), the aesthetic portrayal could represent the lead lord of the Mesopotamian divine committee and its other eleven (upper level) individuals. You read Examination of the Twelfth Planet in class Paper models Recall that (as Sitchin again calls attention to) the Mesopotamian chamber had 12 individual s. I have noted before that the 12 part committee isn’t constantly steady in Mesopotamian religion (on occasion eight divine beings are viewed as the chamber), yet 12 is the more predominant number. This postulation is appealing, yet I can’t state there is a lot to compliment it over choice B. The peruser may be thinking now, â€Å"Well, isn’t the sun god the pioneer of the pantheon †so if this symbology focuses to the heavenly committee the inside image could at present be the sun? † This would be a mistaken line of thought since in SumeroMesopotamian religion the sun god isn't the high god; the high god is Anu (later, Marduk), not Shamash. These alternatives are as a matter of fact abstract, however one thing is sure †the â€Å"sun† image doesn't adjust to the liberally visit image for the sun in SumeroMesopotamian workmanship. We are not managing a delineation of the close planetary system. Space expert Tom van Flandern brought up this years back in any case, since the measures of the â€Å"planets† around the supposed sun don't adjust to the right sizes of the planets and there good ways from the pseudo-sun are not delineated so as to portray curved (or if nothing else differing) circles. The connection to van Flandern’s scrutinize is on my site. 4) There is certifiably not a solitary content in the whole corpus of Sumerian or Mesopotamian tablets on the planet that reveals to us the Sumerians (or later occupants of Mesopotamia) knew there were in excess of five planets. This is a significant case, however is self evident through crafted by researchers who have practical experience in cuneiform cosmology. Beneath I list all the significant deals with cuneiform space science (lists of writings, papers/books) and welcome perusers to look at them of a library and search for themselves. Truly every cuneiform content that has any cosmic remark (even as for crystal gazing and signs) has been interpreted, classified, filed, and examined in the accessible scholarly writing. The tablets are regularly very point by point, in any event, talking about scientific counts of the presence of planetary bodies in the sky, not too far off, and corresponding to different stars. The field is in no way, shape or form new, and is significantly evolved. The entirety of the above aspects of the conversation are presently offered in more detail with book reference. I. The Inscriptions on VA 243 VA243 has three lines of content (â€Å"line 1† is really rehashed on the two sides of the seal): The seal is transliterated (the Sumero-Akkadian signs in English letters) and deciphered in the primary production of the Berlin Vorderasiatische Museum’s distribution of its seal assortment, Vorderasiatische Rollsiegel (â€Å"West Asian Cylinder Seals†; 1940) by Mesopotamian researcher Anton Moortgat on page 101. This book is in German, so I offer the German and an English interpretation: Line 1 = name si-ga â€Å"Dubsiga† [a individual name of an evidently amazing personc] Line 2 = ili-il-la-at â€Å"Ili-illat† [another individual name, this season of the seal’s owner] â€Å"dein Knecht† [German for â€Å"your servant†d] Line 3 = ir3-su So the full (rather exhausting) engraving of VA243 peruses: â€Å"Dubsiga, Ili-illat, your/his worker. â€?