There Were Giants Upon the Earth

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by Zechariah Sitchin


  The Bible avoids telling us where Cain settled, stating only that he went to the "east of Eden," toward "the land of Nod" (= 'Wandering'). We are left guessing how far Cain went to the "east of Eden"—just to the lands of the Zagros Mountains that later on became Elam, Gutium, and Media? Did he and his family keep wandering eastward on the Iranian plateau, to the metalworking land of Luristan and the cattle- rich Indus Valley? Did these wanderers reach the Far East? Did they, perhaps, even cross the Pacific Ocean, reaching the Americas?

  It's not an absurd question, since Man did, somehow, sometime in the early past, reach the Americas—thousands of years before the Deluge. The puzzle is Who, How, and When.

  The general scholarly assumption has been that the Sumerians (and their successors in Mesopotamia) had no interest in, and thus no record of, a 'lost line' of Cainites. But it is inconceivable that the biblical section about Cain's migration, generations, and their impressive achievements was not based on some Mesopotamian written record. In fact, such a very tablet, now archived in the British Museum (catalogued BM 74329)—transcribed (Fig. 68), translated and reported by A. R. Millard and W. G. Lambert in the journal Kadmos (vol. VI)—speaks of a group of exiled people who were "plowmen" (as Cain was, "a tiller of the land"). They wandered and reached a land called Dunnu (the Bible's 'Land of Nod'?); there their leader, named Ka'in (!), built a city whose landmark was a twin tower:

  He built in Dunnu

  a city with twin towers.

  Ka'in dedicated to himself

  the lordship over the city.

  The clue about a city noted for its twin towers is especially intriguing. Early human arrival in the Americas via the Pacific Ocean is not only the latest scientific conclusion, but is in accord with local native lore both in South and North America. In Mesoamerica, the legendary arrival by

  Figure 68

  boats was from an ancestral land of Seven Caves or Seven Shrines (Fig. 69, from a pre-Aztec Nahuatl codex). Pointing out the parallels with the 7-7-7 in the Cain/Lamech line, I wondered in The Lost Realms and in When Time Began whether the name of the Aztec capital, Tenoch-titlan (= 'City of Tenoch'), now Mexico City, might have really meant 'City of Enoch', a city known when the Spaniards arrived by its twin-towered Aztec temple (Fig. 70). I also speculated whether the 'Mark of Cain', which had to be noticed and recognized by others on sight, could have been the Mesoamerican men's absence of facial hair.

  Figure 69

  The text's similarities to the biblical story of Cain's wanderings and the city he built are obvious—but the presumption is that all that took place within the geographic embrace of the Near East. A transpacific jump to the Americas nevertheless refuses to vanish, because the detail offour brothers marrying their sisters and founding a new city is the core of the main Legends of Beginnings of the native peoples of South America. There (as detailed in The Lost Realms) the legend was of the four Ayar Brothers who married their sisters, went wandering, and founded the great city of Cuzco with its temple; they found the correct site for this "Navel of the Earth" with the aid of a golden wand given them by the god Viracocha (= 'Creator of All').

  Figure 70

  As one remains confounded by these similarities, one thing can be asserted with certainty: If the legends (and the people) traveled, it was from the Near East to the Andes, not vice versa. If that is how it happened, then we have here a segment of Mankind that might have survived the Deluge without Noah's ark, offering a human genetic lineage without the intermarriage intrusion.

  * * *

  Without a pause, the Bible follows the Lamech/777 verses with the information that back home, "Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son, and she called his name Sheth"—'Seth' in English—a wordplay name meaning in Hebrew 'Granted', "for God hath granted another seed instead of Abel whom Cain had slain." Seth, let it be noticed, is not just another son—he is "another seed." "And to Seth, to him also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh; it was then that calling by the name of Yahweh began" (Genesis 4:26).

  The Bible's words thus make clear that with the birth of Enosh to Seth, a new genealogical/genetic line has been launched; it leads straight to Noah and thus to the post-Diluvial surviving 'Seed of Mankind.'

  The name Enosh is not difficult to explain: It means, in Hebrew, "Human" in the sense of 'One Who Is Frail/Mortal'. It stems from the same root as the term Enoshut, and undoubtedly coming from the Akkadian Nishiti; both mean "Humanity, Humankind"; and it is clear that it is this human lineage (as distinct from the one through the exiled Cain) that is involved in the ensuing events, including the intermarriage with the sons of the Elohim.

  The Bible's emphasis on this genealogical line is expressed by the 'editorial' placement and extent of the data. The line of Cain is described in eight verses, inserted in chapter 4 of Genesis between the story of Cain and Abel and the birth (to Adam and Eve) of Seth and Enosh. To the line through Seth and Enosh, the Bible devotes the two concluding verses in chapter 4 plus all of chapter 5 and its 32 verses. The list provides an uninterrupted genealogical chain of ten pre-Diluvial Patriarchs from Adam to Noah, leaving no doubt that it is this lineage that led to

  Noah and thus to the salvaging of the Seed of Mankind and its restoration in the aftermath of the Deluge.

  Though it is the favored genealogical line, the Bible is stingy with information about it. With one main exception, the data that the Bible provides consists of a name, at what age each Patriarch gave birth to his firstborn son, and how long he lived thereafter. But who were they, by what were they distinguished, what were their occupations? The only aspect of their lives that is evident right off is that they were blessed with impressive longevity:

  Adam lived 130 years and begot a son in his likeness

  and after his image, and called his name Sheth.

  And the days of Adam after he had begotten Sheth were

  800 years; and he begot [other] sons and daughters.

  [So] all the days that Adam lived were 930 years,

  and he died.

  And Sheth lived 105 years and begot Enosh.

  And Sheth lived after he had begotten Enosh 807 years,

  and he begot sons and daughters.

  And all the days that Sheth lived were 912 years,

  and he died.

  The list continues in the same manner for the next four Patriarchs— Enosh begets Kenan at 90, lives another 815 years, begets other sons and Slaughters, dies at age 905. Kenan begets Mahalalel at 70, dies at 910; Mahalalel begets Yared ('Jared' in English) at 65, dies at age 895; Yared begets Enoch at age 162, dies at age 962.

  There was an extraordinary occurrence when it came to the seventh Patriarch, Enoch, who "lived 65 years and begot Methuselah," but did not die because, at age 365,"Elohim had taken him." We shall return to this significant revelation shortly; right now we shall continue the record of the subsequent Patriarchs to complete their list and their age counts:

  Methuselah gave birth to Lamech at age 187 and died at age 996.

  Lamech gave birth to Noah at age 182, died at age 111.

  Noah gave birth to Shem, Ham, and Japheth at age 500;

  he was 600 years old when the Deluge swept over the Earth.

  While on the face of it these numbers indicate remarkable longevity (which is expected of those closer to the genetic infusion), the list suggests that the Patriarchs lived to see not just children and grandchildren, but also great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren and beyond—and died just ahead of the Deluge. Thus, in spite of their extraordinary longevities, it took a mere 1,656 years from Adam to Noah:

  Odd or not, this lineage list of ten pre-Diluvial Patriarchs, leading to the hero of the Deluge and to the story of the Deluge, unavoidably

  invited scholarly efforts to compare it with the ten ante-Diluvial kings of Berossus and his sources—not an easy task, since the Bible's mere 1,656 years from Adam's birth to the Deluge is quite different from the 432,000 years of Berossus (or the totals according to WB-62, WB-
444, etc.):

  Bible WB-62 Berossus

  Adam

  130

  Alulim

  67,200

  Aloros

  36,000

  Seth

  105

  Alalgar

  72,000

  Alaparos

  10,800

  Enosh

  90

  [En]kidunu

  72,000

  Amelon

  46,800

  Kenan

  70

  [... Jalimma

  21,600

  Ammenon

  43,200

  Mahalalel

  65

  Dumuzi

  28,800

  Megalaros

  64,800

  Yared

  162

  Enmeluanna

  21,600

  Daonos

  36,000

  Enoch

  65

  Ensipzianna

  36,000

  Euedorachos

  64,800

  Metushelah

  187

  Enmeduranna

  72,000

  Amempsinos

  36,000

  Lamech

  182

  Sukurlam (?)

  28,800

  Ardates (or Obartes)

  28.800

  Noah

  600

  Ziusudra

  36,000

  Xisuthros

  64,800

  Ten

  Ten

  Ten

  Patriarchs

  1656

  rulers

  456,000

  kings 120 Shars =

  432,000

  There have been numerous scholarly attempts of numerical gymnastics aimed at finding some common denominator between the 1,656 * years and the Mesopotamian numbers; none are convincing or reasonably acceptable. Our own attempt (in Divine Encounters), focusing on • the obvious Noah/Ziusudra identity and thus the 600:36,000 relationship, pointed out that since the numeral "1" in cuneiform could also mean "60" depending on its position, it could well be that the biblical redactor reduced the ages by a factor of 60. That would mean a span of 99,360 (1,656 x 60) years from Adam to Deluge—still not enough to close the gap.

  That the numbers don't add up is no wonder, for the usual computing method is wrong to begin with. The Mesopotamian count begins with the arrival of the Anunnaki (120 Sars before the Deluge); the Adamic count should begin not from the same moment, but from the time of fashioning The Adam—40 Sars later—and even later still, from when the individual called Adam' was born. Furthermore, the Mesopotamian list gives the lengths of reign, which at best should be compared to when Patriarchal succession took place, not when a son was born.

  Using life-span figures rather than birth-of-son dates, and multiplying those ages by 60, results in a better 'Berossus-like' range: Adam's 930 would become 55,800 years, Seth's 912 will be 54,720, the 905 of Enosh 54,300, and so on. Added together, the ten life spans (with Enoch's count stopped at 365 and that of Noah's at 600) come to a grand total of 8225, which multiplied by 60 results in 493,500 years. Assuming that succession sometimes took place before the predecessor's death, we come within range of the Mesopotamian totals.

  A better track worth following might be comparing personalities, using their names and/or occupations as clues. Could we find, for example, the point in the Mesopotamian ten-kings lists where the biblical Adam makes an appearance? It seems that we can, if we look carefully.

  Of the first two rulers, we definitely know that they reigned in Eridu, the first Anunnaki settlement established by Ea/Enki. Both bore typical early Anunnaki' names; in all probability, Alulim was Alalu, the deposed Nibiruan king, appointed Chief Administrator ('king') in Eridu by his son-in-law Ea/Enki. Alalgar, whose name conveyed the notion of 'settling down', is not otherwise known, and could have been one of Enki's aides.

  The interesting point about their reigns, as recorded in WB-62, is that together they totaled 139,200 years—just under the 40 Shars (= 144,000 years) of Anunnaki toil before 'Workman' was fashioned. It seems as the right moment for The Adam, born to toil, to appear. And indeed, it is here that the Mesopotamian list names third ruler Amelon—"The Workman" in Akkadian—a rendering that matches the Sumerian Lulu-Amelu. Looking at his name in the WB-62 list, the answer stares right into our eyes: Enki.dunnu simply and clearly means in Sumerian "Enki made/fashioned him."

  In the Akkadian 'Amelori and the Sumerian 'Enki.dunnu', I suggest, we are staring at the biblical 'Adam'.

  WB-62 then lists two names: The incomplete [. . . ]-Alimma and "Dumuzi, a shepherd." The names and their sequence give us pause; incredibly, Alim means, in Sumerian, 'Grazing land' or its animal, the ram; Dumu.zi literally means "Son who is Life." Could these Sumerian names stand for Adam's sons Abel, the Herder, and then Seth, the son through whom new Line of Life was granted?

  Various studies comparing the biblical list of Patriarchs with the Berossus list have already suggested that Ammenon in Berossus stems from the Akkadian (and Hebrew) term for craftsman/artificer, Amman—a description befitting the biblical Kenan (= 'Artificer of Implements'). Without dwelling on the rest of the names, the instances thus far given strongly suggest one common source for the various Sumerian King Lists, Berossus, and the Bible.

  Our analysis and findings go beyond the conclusion that somewhere, somehow, there had to be a common source from which the data was obtained. For if the Sumerian pre-Diluvial rulers and the biblical pre-Diluvial Patriarchs were the same, it raises the question: Who, indeed, were these Patriarchs? If Adam and Seth and Enosh, etc., lived and 'reigned' for periods counted in Shars, could they have been mortal men (as the Bible implies)? If they were the Shar-span rulers of the Sumerian King List, why the repeated biblical statement that each one of them died? Or were they perhaps a combination of the two: partly mortal men, partly gods—in other words, Demigods—with all the genetic consequences thereof?

  Could the biblical Patriarchs themselves, including Noah, have been the very "Men of Renown" of Genesis chapter 6 who were fathered by the Nefilim who had mated with the 'Daughters of Man'?

  For an answer—an amazing answer—we have to take another look at all the available sources.

  THE POWER OF SEVEN

  Our daily life is regulated by the seven-day week—an odd number that fits neither our decimal (= 'Base ten', as the number of our digits in two hands) system, nor the Sumerian sexagecimal (= 'Base Sixty') system that we continue to use in geometry, astronomy, and timekeeping. This unusual choice is explained by the biblical tale of Creation that covered the span of seven days (the final day of rest and review included). This biblical seven is explained in turn by the seven tablets of Enuma elish, the Mesopotamian Epic of Creation. But why is that text inscribed on seven tablets?

  The number seven (including seventh and seventy) appears in almost every major biblical event, commandment, and prophecy, for a total of some six hundred times. It is also a key number in the New Testament, including the prophetic Book of Revelation, as well as in the Pseudoepigraphic books (such as the seven classes of angels in the Book of Enoch).

  That has been the same in Egyptian lore, starting with the affairs of the gods: The first divine dynasty consisted of seven gods (from Ptah to Horus); and in all there were 49 (= 7 x 7) divine and demigod rulers until Pharaonic reign began. Mesoamerican beginnings are attrib- * uted to seven tribes; and so on.

  The consideration of seven as a Power Number in fact began with the Anunnaki who had come to Earth from Nibiru. Nippur, Mission Control Center, was the seventh city on Earth. There were seven Sages, and the 'Seven Who Judge'. Ziggurats had seven stages, and stars were located with the "stylus of seven numbers." A god had the 'Sevenfold Weapon', and there were seven 'Weapons of Terror'. The release of the Bull of Heaven triggered seven years of famine; when a temple was inaugurated, seven blessings were pronounced. And so on and on.

  The origin of all that, we suggest, is the po
sition of Earth as the seventh planet from the viewpoint of the Anunnaki (see the sky map of Enlil's route from Nibiru to Earth, Fig. 65). It states that "Enlil went by seven planets" to reach Earth—starting the count with Pluto, then Neptune and Uranus as 2nd and 3rd, Saturn and Jupiter as 4th and 5th, Mars as 6th, and Earth as the Seventh Planet. Accordingly, seven dots was Earth's celestial symbol, as seen on an Assyrian monument (alongside the symbols for the Moon, Nibiru, and the Sun, and the deities associated with them).

  X

  Of Patriarchs and Demigods

  A 'demigod', by definiton, is someone who is a product of the mating of a god (or goddess) with an Earthling, sharing the two genomes. As startling, or dismissed as myth, as the possibility may sound, the Bible unambiguously asserts that such mating had taken place, and that heroic "Men of Renown" were born as a result both before and after the Deluge. On the face of it, that is all the Bible has to say on such a history-changing matter (it was the cause for the plan to terminate Mankind by the Deluge!)—unlike the Mesopotamian texts that are filled with tales of demigods, with Gilgamesh notorious among them. And that, as we shall see, opens the door to potential discoveries in our own present time.

 

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