E Unum...Pluribus

Yes, I said it backwards...on purpose! Most of us know the term, E Pluribus Unum, from reading it on United States currency. It's meaning, "out of many...one" is used as a analogy for the population of the United States having come from many diverse cultures from all over the world. I have reversed it here to say "out of one...many" for purposes which will become evident as we move forward.

I recall, in my adolescence, learning about the origins of civilization in World History class, a very brief mention of the Sumerian culture. Our teacher probably spent only about twenty minutes discussing ancient Sumeria, briefly mentioning that they invented writing and were prolific farmers. We then proceeded on to an exhaustive study of ancient Egypt, lasting, I felt at the time, an eternity. The impression left was that the Sumerians were minor players in history.

Fast forward to present day. Turns out, the ancient Sumerians were no minor leaguers, as I've discovered. They were the "Unum"...the "one". In fact, their story is one of the most intriguing mysteries of all time.

Some 6,000 years ago, what has been called "the most crucial event in human history" took place in an area called the Fertile Crescent along the southern portions of the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, near where they empty into the Persian Gulf, which is in the southeast area of what we now call Iraq. Seemingly out of nowhere, a highly advanced culture appeared sometime before 4,000 B.C. Some scholars believe the date to be as early as 8,500 B.C. This culture appeared to have no predecessors and spoke a language bearing no resemblance to the native languages which came from the area, such as Assyrian, Canaanite, Hebrew, Persian, etc., nor to any spoken in the general area at the time, such as African, Asian, or European dialects. Literally overnight, they developed magnificent cities, an advanced system of government, highly sophisticated ethics, and complex irrigation and farming. In addition, their system of writing (they pretty much invented it) is the oldest form of sophisticated writing ever found. This system of writing, according to Laurence Gardner in Genesis of the Grail Kings was "neither crude nor primitive", with NO KNOWN SOURCE, "as if it arrived from another world". Having no previous civilization to draw from whatsoever, they arrived with a complex system of attributes including kingship, priesthood, the love making arts, music, arts, advanced astronomy, and human kindness. The also had metallurgy, leather making, and advanced wood working. Theses attributes, together called "The Me", was given via subterfuge by the "god" Enki's daughter, having gotten Enki drunk and subsequently stealing the "goods" (knowledge) and giving it to the Sumerians. The rumors, however, were that Enki secretly wanted to give the people this knowledge, but because his comrades, the Annunaki, were against it, he had to resort to this charade.

So, here we are, with a civilization, possibly the most highly advanced of the ancient world, just "showing up" out of nowhere with no predecessors, with amazing knowledge and culture, supposedly given by a "god", Enki, of the Annunaki. And oh, did I forget to mention how the word "Annunaki" is translated by the Sumerians themselves? It literally means "those who from the heavens came".

Hmmm...

Until next time, Peace and Love!