Anunnaki Gods in Exile

Book excerpt: During the Sumerian era, intelligent and talented individuals lived in the southern Iraq region. Scholars think that the earliest known human civilization emerged “suddenly,” “unexpectedly,” and “with remarkable abruptness” in the fertile plain watered by the Euphrates and Tigris rivers roughly 6,000 years ago. It was a civilization to which we owe nearly all the “Firsts” that we believe are necessary for a developed society, such as the wheel and methods of transportation on wheels; brick, which is used to build and continues to be used to build large structures; and furnaces and kilns, which are essential to industries ranging from baking to metallurgy. Sumer is credited with creating writing and record-keeping, astronomy, mathematics, towns and urban civilizations, kingships and laws, temples and priests, calendars, festivals, recipes, art, and artifacts. They were the first to record and explain historical events and tell stories about their gods by displaying exquisite sculptures and statuettes at holy sites. Over the last 150 years, several individuals have gained and evaluated scattered Mesopotamian archaeological objects to compile a comprehensive inventory. The names of the academics who made the voyage possible may be seen on many markers along the route that elevated ancient Sumer from obscurity to reverence. We will cover a few individuals who worked in diverse locations. In the last 150 years, archaeology and studying ancient languages have made this workable.