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The Myth of a Sumerian 12
th
Planet:
“Nibiru” According to the Cuneiform Sources
Michael S. Heiser
Ph.D. candidate, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Those familiar with either the writings of Zecharia Sitchin or the current internet rantings
about “the return of Planet X” are likely familiar with the word “nibiru”. According to self-
proclaimed ancient languages scholar Zecharia Sitchin, the Sumerians knew of an extra
planet beyond Pluto. This extra planet was called Nibiru. Sitchin goes on to claim that
Nibiru passes through our solar system every 3600 years. Some believers in Sitchin’s theory
contend that Nibiru will return soon – May of 2003 to be exact. These followers of Sitchin’s
ideas also refer to Nibiru as “Planet X”, the name given to a planet that is allegedly located
within our solar system but beyond Pluto. Adherents to the “returning Planet X hypothesis”
believe the return of this wandering planet will bring cataclysmic consequences to earth.
1
Is Sitchin correct – Is Nibiru a 12
th
planet that passes through our solar system every 3600
years? Did the Sumerians know this?
2
Are those who equate Sitchin’s Nibiru with Planet X
correct in this view? Unfortunately for Sitchin and his followers, the answer to each of these
questions is no.
This paper will address these questions in the course of five discussion sections:
null Overview of the scholarship on Nibiru
null How often and where does the word “nibiru” occur in cuneiform texts? What does the
word mean, and is there an astronomical context for the word in any of its
occurrences?
null What are the cuneiform astronomical sources for our knowledge of ancient
Mesopotamian astronomy?
null What do those sources tell us about Nibiru?
null If Nibiru is not a 12
th
planet (and hence not Planet X), what is it?
Section One: Previous scholarly work on Nibiru
While scholarly material on cuneiform astronomy is fairly abundant, specific treatments of
Nibiru are rare. The last treatment of Nibiru in a journal article in the English language was
in 1961, and was co-authored by the great Sumerian scholar Benno Landsberger, editor of
the Sumero-Akkadian lexical lists I reference on my website in conjunction with Zecharia
Sitchin’s abuse of Sumero-Akkadian vocabulary.
3
An earlier article in German (1936) dealt
1
It is important to note that Sitchin himself does not claim that Nibiru is Planet X or that Nibiru is returning this
spring (May 2003).
2
For readers who are familiar with Sitchin’s use of cylinder seal VA 243 as a defense for Sumerian knowledge of 12
planets, see the webpage on my website devoted to this error and the accompanying PDF file.
3
The article is B. Landsberger and J.V. Kinnier Wilson, “The Fifth Tablet of Enuma Elish,” Journal of Near Eastern
Studies 20 (1961): 172ff. This is the scholarly journal of Near Eastern studies produced by the University of
Chicago’s Oriental Institute. The Sumero-Akkadian lexical lists (cuneiform bilingual dictionaries) are referenced on
my website in the discussion of Sitchin’s idea that words like shamu refer to rocket ships. The Mesopotamian scribes
tell us what these words mean in their own dictionaries (and Landsberger was the scholar who compiled these lists in
a multi-volume work [in German]).
directly with the subject, and a recent German article (1990) does likewise.
4
All of these
articles were written well after the cuneiform documents / tablets that mention Nibiru as an
astronomical body were known, and hence the authors had access to all the pertinent texts.
Other works dealt with Nibiru (see below for sources and footnotes), but only in passing, as
their focus was Babylonian astronomy in general. What you are reading in this present
paper is an attempt to synthesize this material and account for all references to Nibiru in
cuneiform tablets with an attempt to discern what exactly Nibiru is.
Section Two: How often and where does the word “nibiru” occur in cuneiform
texts? What does the word mean, and is there an astronomical context for the word
in any of its occurrences?
Fortunately for scholars and other interested parties, the work of the studies above and the
editors of the monumental Chicago Assyrian Dictionary (= CAD hereafter) have located and
compiled all the places where the word “nibiru” and related forms of that word occur in
extant tablets. A look at the CAD entry (volume “N-2”, pp. 145-147) tells us immediately
that the word has a variety of meanings, all related to the idea of “crossing” or being some
sort of “crossing marker” or “crossing point”. In only a minority of cases (those references
in astronomical texts) does the word relate to an astronomical body. Below is a brief
overview of the word’s meanings outside our immediate interest, followed by specific
meanings and references in the astronomical texts.
General Meanings of Occurrences Outside Astronomical Texts
Word meaning, of course, is determined by context. “Nibiru” (more technically and properly
transliterated as “ne4beru”
5
) can mean. I have underlined the form of nibiru for the reader:
“place of crossing” or “crossing fee” – In the Gilgamesh epic,
6
for example, we read
the line (remarkably similar to one of the beatitudes in the sermon on the Mount):
“Straight is the crossing point (nibiru; a gateway), and narrow is the way that leads to
it.” A geographical name in one Sumero-Akkadian text, a village, is named “Ne-bar-ti-
Ash-shur” (“Crossing Point of Asshur”). Another text dealing with the fees for a boatman
who ferries people across the water notes that the passenger paid “shiqil kaspum sha ne-
bi-ri-tim” (“silver for the crossing fees”).
“ferry, ford”; “ferry boat”; “(act of) ferrying” – For example, one Akkadian text
refers to a military enemy, the Arameans: “A-ra-mu nakirma bab ni-bi-ri sha GN itsbat”
7
(“The Arameans were defiant and took up a position at the entrance to the ford [gate,
crossing point]”). In another, the Elamites are said to “ina ID Abani ni-bi-ru u-cha-du-u”
(“[to] have cut off the ford [bridge, crossing way] of the river Abani”).
I think the “root idea” of the nibiru word group and its forms as meaning something with
respect to “crossing” is clear, and so we’ll move on.
8
4
A. Schott, “Marduk und sein Stern” (“Marduk and his Stars”), Zeitschrift fur Assyriologie 43 (1936): 124-145;
Johannes Koch, “Der Mardukstern Neberu” (“Marduk’s star Nibiru”), Welt und Orients 22 (1990): 48-72.
5
For the most part in this paper I have not used the standard scholarly transliteration font with diacritical marks. I
have instead tried to spell Akkadian words phonetically for readers. An exception would be the chart of Nibiru
references below.
6
Tablet X, ii:24.
7
The “GN” refers to a determinative for a geographic name.
8
Sitchin of course notes the basic “crossing” meaning in his book. One just needs a dictionary for this, as the above
indicates. He then supplies – without textual support – the idea that Nibiru is a planet that “crossed” paths with other
planets in our solar system on its regular 3600 year course. The rest of this paper will demonstrate the flaws in this
view.
Nibiru as Referring to an Astronomical Body
The following is an exhaustive list of the word “nibiru” in astronomical texts and/or
astronomical contexts. If one wants to know what Nibiru as an astronomical body is,
one is dependent on these texts – unless, like Zecharia Sitchin, one makes up
meanings to prop up a theory. One either lets the texts tell you what Nibiru is, or
ignores the scribes in favor of Sitchin. I have, in these cases, given (a) the
Mesopotamian text where the word occurs; (b) a Sumero-Akkadian transliteration;
9
(c) a
brief translation; (d) the page references to English translations of the Mesopotamian text in
which the word occurs, so the reader can check the context and study further. (Note as well
that in Section Three I discuss each occurrence in more detail and in context). In the
following chart,
? superscripted “d” = the cuneiform sign for “god” (Dingir), and so “neberu” may refer
to a god (recall that Sumerians and Mesopotamians associated heavenly bodies with
deities)
? superscripted “MUL” = the cuneiform sign for “star” (and so “neberu” is a star – the
texts tell us this point blank)
? subscripted numbers = the numerical reference number for Sumerian signs that can
stand for more than one syllable. This is a scholarly convention for keeping such
overlapping signs distinct so the texts can be read accurately.
At the risk of some redundancy, you will notice quickly that Nibiru is preceded by both “d”
and “MUL”, and so is referred to as a deity and a star. As Sitchin himself notes on various
occasions (and this is common knowledge to ancient near eastern scholars), ancient people
often identified the stars or planets as gods, as though the stars were deified beings. This is
one reason why even in the Old Testament the sons of God are referred to as stars (cf. Job
38:7-8). In the texts that follow, Nibiru was regarded as a planet (specifically, Jupiter, but
once as Mercury), a god (specifically, Marduk), and a star (distinguished from Jupiter).
If you’re confused, you aren’t alone. This tri-fold (fourfold if you count Mercury) designation
for Nibiru is why scholars of cuneiform astronomy have not been able to determine with
certainty what exactly Nibiru is. We’ll go into the problem more in later sections. One
thing is certain from the texts, though: Nibiru is NEVER identified as a planet
beyond Pluto.
9
“Transliteration” refers to putting the characters of a foreign language into “English letters and sounds” so as to
enable us to verbalize the text. Translation, on the other hand, is taking that text and putting its meaning into the
appropriate words of another language. At times in printed works dealing with the texts in question the editing /
layout differs (e.g., capitalizing or superscripting).
Occurrence Sumero-Akkadian
Transliteration
Meaning English
Translation
Source
1
Enuma Elish
Tablet V, line 6
u8-s\ar8-s\id man8-za8-az
d
Ne8-be8-ru ana ud8-du8-u rik8-si8-
s\u8-un
“He [Marduk in context]
set fast the position of
Nibiru to fix their [the
stars] bounds”
Horowitz, 115,
161
2
Enuma Elish,
Tablet VII, line
124
d
Ne8-be8-ru ne8-be8-re-et
s\ame, u ers[eti lu tameh}ma
“let Nibiru be the holder
of the crossing place of
the heaven and of the
earth”
Horowitz, p.
115;
3
Enuma Elish,
Tablet VII, line
126, 130-131
d
Ne8-be8-ru kakkabu- s\u
s\a ina s\ame, u-s\a-pu-u
130-131 do not contain the
name Nibiru, but elaborate on
126.
“Nibiru is his [marduk’s
in context] star, which
he made appear in the
heavens . . . [130-131]
The stars of heaven, let
him [Nibiru] set their
course; let him
shepherd all the gods
like sheep.”
Horowitz, p.
115;
4 Astrolabe B, the
Star catalogue
(known as “KAV
218B ii, lines 29-
32)
MUL SA
5
s\a ina ZI
im
U
18
LU EGIR DINGIR mes\
GI
5
ti ug-da-mi-ru-nim-
ma AN-e BAR-ma GUB-
iz MUL BI
d
Ne8-be8-ru
d
AMAR.UD
“the red star which
stands in the south
after the gods of the
night [the stars] have
been finished, dividing
the sky in half, this star
is Nibiru, (i.e.,
Marduk).”
Mul.Apin
5
Mul.Apin I.i:36-
38
k|4ma kakkabu4 s\u4t
d
Enlil
ugdammiru4ni is\ten kakkabu4
rabu4 s[essu da)mat s\ame,
us\tams\alma izzaz kakkab
d
AMAR.UD Ne8-be8-ru SAG.ME.
GAR manza4ssu ittanakkir
s\ame, ibbir
“When the stars of Enlil
have been finished, one
big star – although its
light is dim – divides
the sky in half and
stands there: that is,
the star of Marduk,
Nibiru, Jupiter; it keeps
changing its position
and crosses the sky.”
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Various star lists;
(#s 6-7 = CT
26.41..v.1;
44.ii.12 )
(# 8,9 = CT
25.35.7; 36.6)
(# 10-13 = CAD,
p. 147; Omen
Texts; see
abbrev’s. in CAD
and last column
here)
Numbers 6-7 = the word
MUL
Ni-bi-rum (in a list of stars)
Numbers 8-9 =
d
Ne8-be8-ru Marduk re4me4nu,
Numbers 10-11 have the word
MUL
Ni-bi-rum
Numbers 12-13 have the word
d
Ne8-be8-ru
“(the star) Nibiru”
“(the god) Nibiru, the
merciful Marduk”
“(the star) Nibiru”
“(the god) Nibiru”
Cuneiform texts
from
Babylonian
Tablets (=CT)
Mul.Apin
K = tablets on
the Kouyunjik
collection of the
British Museum;
LBAT = Late
Babylonian
Astronomical
and Related
texts, ed. By J.
Sachs
14
15
Tablets K.6174:9’
and K.12769:6’
Both have the phrase:
DISH
MUL
UDU.IDIM.GU
4
UD
AN-e BAR-ma GUB-ma
d
Ne8-be8-[ru s\ums\u]
“If Mercury divides the
sky and stands there,
[it’s name] is Nibiru.”
Mul.Apin
16
17
Two omen texts
(CAD, p. 147)
Two short astronomical omens
have
MUL
Ni-bi-rum
“(the star) Nibiru”
As noted previously, Nibiru was regarded as a planet (specifically, Jupiter, but once as
Mercury), a god (specifically, Marduk), and a star (distinguished from Jupiter).
In the next section, Section Three, I’ll provide some information as to what the most
important sources for cuneiform astronomy are. Specifically, any of the above references
that add commentary about Nibiru (as opposed to just listing the name) will be discussed.
With that background we’ll head to Section Four and discuss the specific lines in context
that talk about Nibiru. The final section of the paper, Section Five, will sketch the scholarly
attempts to understand and explain the above (apparently) contradictory descriptions of
Nibiru.
Section Three: What are the cuneiform astronomical sources for our knowledge of
ancient Mesopotamian astronomy?
Cuneiform tablets that contain astronomical data or references to astronomical bodies date
as far back as 1800 B.C.
10
The dating of cuneiform sources is secure,
11
but this date is not
nearly as old as Zecharia Sitchin claims for Sumerian astronomical knowledge. The
chronological gap is due to the fact that Sitchin does not derive his views from the tablets
themselves, but from his imaginative interpretation of them. Sitchin’s entire
cosmological-mythological system is based on three lines of argument:
(1) The cylinder seal VA 243, which is dismantled in another PDF file on my website.
12
In a nutshell, the “sun” on the seal (which allegedly depicts the solar system) is not
the sun – based on the consistent style of the actual sun symbol in Sumero-
Mesopotamian seals and art. Without a sun, you don’t have a solar system.
(2) The claim that Nibiru lies beyond Pluto and is home to the Anunnaki, neither of
which come from the actual texts (see the chart above
13
).
(3) The “reconstruction” of the formation of our solar system, accomplished by
matching the names of gods in Sumerian creation-cosmological texts with planets –
and then describing a “cosmic billiards” scenario supposedly conveyed to us in these
10
Francesca Rochberg, “Astronomy and Calendars in Ancient Mesopotamia,” Civilizations of the Ancient Near
East, vol. III, ed. Jack Sasson (2000): p. 1925. This is likely the best introduction lay to the subject, and so I use it
here throughout.
11
The reader must realize that dating ancient tablets is not arbitrary. Dates are determined by several methods: (1)
The names of kings or other important figures in texts (like generals or priest) who are cross-referenced in other
sources, often from other countries (like Egypt). In the case of kings, these names are then matched to king lists or
other lists that tell us the number of years in succession each king reigned. One can therefore start plotting out a
chronology in conjunction with the records of other ancient peoples. “Starting points” or benchmarks are obtained by
Greek or Roman records (which take us well into the “AD” and several centuries backinto “BC). (2) Astronomical
events mentioned in texts (like eclipses) that can be plotted today via modern astronomical techniques and records.
Often these events also show up in other ancient sources as well. (3) Important events that show up in texts (like
battles or treaties) that reference other nations or are themselves recorded in other sources (common for both parties
in treaties to record them). Again, these can be cross-referenced. (4) Once a body of cuneiform tablets accumulates
that can be chronologically dated, scholars make note of changes in vocabulary, style, and grammar. This enable
them to date tablets that do not have any of the chronological markers in them noted above. To illustrate, if you
found a letter in your attic or a yard sale that had words like “thee” or “thou” in it, you’d know immediately that the
letter could be an approximate number of years old. Once you checked with experts, you could get it quite close (at
least to the decade). If you found a letter that LOOKED old, but had the word “email” in it, you’d also know it
couldn’t be older than the year when email came into being.
12
See www.facadenovel.com/SitchinPDFpapers.htm.
13
If one wants to disagree with the chart, I invite the reader to simply look up the references to Nibiru in the
Chicago Assyrian Dictionary and then go look up the English translations in the sources in the charts, as well as the
bibliography at the end of this paper.
texts. Cuneiform astronomical texts never list any more than five planets
14
(seven if
one counts sun and moon), and actually tell us which planets are which gods in their
mythology. It should be no surprise that the Sumero-Akkadian planet-god
correlations disagree with Sitchin’s.
15
The oldest cuneiform astronomical texts deal with omens (called by scholars, “celestial
divination texts”). The detailed nature of omen texts (ca. 1800 BC), however, does raise a
caveat in the dating. While our oldest texts go back to 1800 BC, it is apparent that celestial
divination (and hence astronomical observation) did not come into existence at that time –
it’s already systematized. This argues for an older date, but precision is based only on
speculation.
In regard to an older astronomy than 1800 BC, the reader should be advised that all I am
saying (with scholars of this field) is that the practice of observing the heavens is older than
1800 – not that the Sumerians could have known how many planets there were. We have,
in fact (see below) full-blown astronomical tablets with SUMERIAN star names (Sumer as a
civilization pre-dates 1800 BC), yet it is these very tablets that inform us that the Sumerians
only knew of five planets (plus sun and moon). They are not incomplete either, as though
they forgot a few or left them off the tablet. MUL.APIN is a complete astronomical cycle of
observations – it’s a compendium of Sumero-Mesopotamian astronomy. But on to specific
sources now!
As experts in Sumero-Mesopotamian astronomy note, three texts “characterize the interest
of Babylonian astronomy before 500 BC, as well as the level of penetration into astronomical
phenomena attained in this period.”
16
These three texts are: Enuma Anu Enlil (which is not
the same as Enuma Elish), the “Three Stars Each” tablets (better known as “Astrolabes”),
and MUL.APIN. The first of these has little bearing on the Nibiru matter. When we discuss
Nibiru momentarily, we shall also need to look at Enuma Elish Tablet V which, though not an
astronomical text, does mention Nibiru.
Enuma Anu Enlil
This tablet mathematically calculates “the duration of lunar visibility throughout a thirty day
equinoctial month.”
17
Since the length of night changes from month to month, the
Babylonians also devised a method of mathematically calculating lunar visibility for any day
of the year.
14
See the chart from MUL.APIN below.
15
Again, you either get your facts from the Sumero-Akkadian texts and scribes or Sitchin. The choice seems
obvious enough to me.
16
The quotation is from Rochberg, p. 1927, but see also the bibliography at the end of the paper.
17
Rochberg, p. 1927.
“Three Stars Each” or “Astrolabe”
Rather than a concern with lunar visibility, the astrolabes are concerned with the “variation
in length of daylight throughout the year.”
18
The main content of the astrolabes is a “fixed
star calendar in which months of heliacal risings are given for three fixed stars in each of the
twelve months in a schematic year.”
19
Hence the “three stars each” name for these tablets.
In other words, three fixed stars were observed each month as to the point / time of their
appearance over the horizon just prior to the sun’s appearance. These stars “[were] further
assigned to three ‘paths’ in the sky, named for the three great gods Anu, Enlil, and Ea. The
paths were defined with respect to the eastern horizon and represent areas of the sky in
which one sees stars rise in seasonal regularity (one of the chief differences between them
and the planets). The attempt to place the stars in the sky and to describe their cyclical
return to their place accounts for the modern title ‘Astrolabe’.”
20
To illustrate the content of the astrolabe,
21
scholars have arranged the data in the cuneiform
sources in astrolabe fashion (note the red asterisk where Nibiru, star of the god Marduk
[Jupiter; “
MUL
Neberu
d
Marduk”] is mentioned):
18
Rochberg, p. 1929.
19
Ibid., 1929.
20
Ibid., 1929.
21
The three illustrations are from W. Horowitz, Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography (Eisenbrauns, 1998): 156, 165,
173.
One observation is appropriate before moving on. The fact that these stars in the astrolabe
are all “fixed” may suggest that since Nibiru is described as Marduk-Jupiter and also Mercury
in one text, and yet “changes course” (see # 5 reference in the chart above), this shows that
the fixed star of Nibiru may have changed position, depending on when its observation in
the various texts was made. This is descriptive of precession and/or pole shift. More on that
idea below under Section Five.
The three “paths” of the sky may be illustrated as well, using the sun’s path as an example:
MUL.APIN
This cuneiform text (set of two tablets) is an astronomical compendium that “catalogues and
systematizes a wide variety of celestial phenomena . . . [it] represents a comprehensive
summary of the astronomical knowledge of the period about the seventh century BC.”
22
The
first tablet begins by listing the fixed stars assigned to the three paths noted in the astrolabe
material. Dates of heliacal rising of thirty-six fixed stars or constellations are given, twenty-
22
Rochberg, p. 1930. Unless otherwise noted, this section is a summation of Rochberg, p. 1930.
four of which overlap with the thirty six stars of the astrolabe (including Nibiru). Tablet two
continues with the path of the sun, moon, and planets. Appearances and disappearances of
Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, and Mercury are provided, along with discussion of winds, the
solar year, length of daylight at cardinal points of the year, and duration of the moon’s
setting.
MUL.APIN
Section Four: What do these sources tell us about Nibiru?
In concert with the chart of references to Nibiru, we’ll focus the rest of the discussion on
those texts and passages that do more than just list Nibiru among stars. The major
references to Nibiru are Enuma Elish (mentioned only in the chart thus far), the Astrolabe,
and MUL.APIN.
Enuma Elish (esp. Tablet V)
Enuma Elish is no doubt familiar to those who have heard of Zecharia Sitchin or Niburu
before. This Mesopotamian epic recounts the origin of the universe in a total of seven
tablets. In the closing portion of Tablet VI and through most of Tablet VII the gods proclaim
the fifty names of Marduk. In Tablet VI, lines 39-44, Marduk divided the Anunnaki gods into
two groups: 300 in heaven and 300 on earth. After doing this (lines 55ff.), the Anunnaki
petition Marduk to be allowed to build a sanctuary, and remind Marduk that he had earlier
promised to build Babylon. The Anunnaki then build Babylon at Marduk’s behest, followed
by their own shrines. Tablet VI, line 121 through Tablet VII, line 138 contains the
pronouncement of Marduk’s names. One of these names of Marduk, in line 124 of Tablet
VII, is Nibiru. I’ll following Horowitz’s translation below (with interspersed comments on my
own).
23
In line 124 the name is given in Sumerian (Nibiru prefixed by the DINGIR sign for deity) and
then a short Akkadian description follows:
d
Ne8-be8-ru ne8-be8-re-et s\ame, u ers[eti lu tameh}ma
Nibiru: let him/it [Nibiru] be the holder of the crossing of heavens and earth.
(line 125 follows: “. . . so that they [the heavens] cannot cross above and
below, but must wait for him [Nibiru]”).
Observation: Here we have a specific Sumero-Akkadian text that says Nibiru is the
name of Marduk. Below we’ll see that Marduk was the name of the planet Jupiter.
Nibiru can’t be a planet beyond Pluto if it’s Jupiter. Nibiru-Marduk-Jupiter has
something to do with a crossing place – that is, this astronomical body itself isn’t
DOING the crossing, but marks or is positioned at a crossing point. This is another
point of contradiction with Sitchin’s teachings, as he argues it is Nibiru that is mobile
and “crosses” into the orbital paths of our solar system’s planets. The texts do not
say this.
Tablet VII then continues in lines 126-127 with this statement:
d
Ne8-be8-ru kakkabu-s\u s\a ina s\ame, u-s\a-pu-u
Nibiru is his [Marduk’s] star, which he made appear in the heavens.
lu-u8 s[a-bit kun-sag-gi s\u-una s\a-a-s\u lu-u8 pal-su-s\a
He [Nibiru] is the one who holds the “turning point” [the crossing point,
juncture]; they must look to him.
Observation: Horowitz notes that the word kunsaggu is only attested in Enuma
Elish. There is a kun-sag-ga in another text where that word is paralleled by the
word muh~ru , which is a street sign or marker for a turning point during a processional
circuit. At any rate, Nibiru marks some sort of juncture or “intersection.”
The final reference to Nibiru in Tablet VII is lines 130-131, where the name does not occur,
but which continues the thought of lines 126-127:
The stars of heaven, let him [Nibiru] set their course;
let him shepherd all the gods like sheep.
Observation: The text clearly labels Nibiru with the DINGIR sign again, and yet calls
it specifically a star (kakkabu is the generic word for star in semitic; cf. Hebrew kkb).
It also says that Marduk-Jupiter made Nibiru appear. Could this be a reference to a
cataclysmic event, or perhaps some positional phenomenon, or is it just a
mythological statement? Whatever Nibiru is – it seems either Jupiter itself (the
23
Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography, pp. 114-115.
apparent plurality being only a renaming of the same thing) or some star inextricably
connected to Jupiter, it regulates the stars keeping them in their courses.
Tablet V of Enuma Elish echoes the words Tablet VII. This is the portion of the epic that
deals with Marduk’s arrangment of the stars. Lines 1-8 read:
1) He [Marduk] fashioned the stations for the great gods.
2) Their stars, their likeness he set up, the constellations.
3) He fixed the year, drew the boundary lines.
4) Set up three stars for each of the 12 months. [a reference to the astrolabe setup]
5) After he drew up the designs of the year.
6) He set fast the station of Neberu to fix their bands.
7) So that none would transgress or be neglectful at all.
8) He set the station of Enlil and Ea with it.
Observation: This “station” is explained by scholars by referring to the above lines
(124-127) in Tablet VII. Nibiru’s “stationing” is taken to be the “special role”
assigned by Marduk: some sort of regulating point or influence over the stars that
seems to dictate the courses of the stars.
Astrolabe B
As noted in the reconstructed astrolabe above, Nibiru and the stations of Enlil and Ea are
identified with either the last month of the old year (Adar), but could admittedly be
associated with the first month of the new year (Nisan).
24
Astrolabe “B”, column ii, lines 29-
32 read:
The red star which stands in the south after the gods of the night [the stars]
have been finished, dividing the sky in half, this star is Nibiru-Marduk.
Observation: At the very least, as Horowitz notes, the above text in the Astrolabe
indicates that Nibiru, Marduk’s star, along with those stars of Ea and Enlil were to be
found in the sky as the old year passed and the new year began. The phrase “red
star” is interesting, and makes one think of Mars. The Mesopotamians of course
knew of Mars (its orbit is catalogued in MUL.APIN), however. My astronomical
knowledge is minimal. Perhaps (and this is a guess) if Mars appears colored red and
not colored red at different times there could have been some confusion. Is there a
time when Mars “follows” Jupiter’s path so as to confuse an association to the ancient
observer? If so, Nibiru and Mars might be correlated.
MUL.APIN Tablet I, col. 1, lines 36-38
The words of these lines mirror the texts above:
When the stars of Enlil have been finished, one big star – although its light is
dim – divides the sky in half and stands there: that is, the star of Marduk,
Nibiru, Jupiter; it keeps changing its position and crosses the sky.
24
Horowitz, 116.
Observations: The phrasing, “the star of Marduk, Nibiru, Jupiter . . .” is significant.
The Sumero-Akkadian text here reads:
MUL
d
AMAR.UD ne-bi-ri DIS$
MUL
SAG.ME.GAR
Nibiru is clearly called the star of Marduk, and is Jupiter. Oddly, here Nibiru
“crosses the sky” and so appears mobile – but elsewhere it was a “fixed” star.
This again – despite the “mobility” cannot refer to a planet beyond Pluto for
two reasons: (1) Nibiru is visible EVERY YEAR; (2) it is (again) either a star
associated intimately with Jupiter or IS Jupiter.
How do we know the above phrasing refers to Jupiter? Because
MUL.APIN catalogues the paths of the known planets (five, plus sun and moon
as planets, for seven). Here is a tabulation of the planet names in MUL.APIN,
cited from the major technical study of these tablets:
25
As noted earlier, two other tablets in the above chart aside from these major references
refer to Nibiru as Mercury. More will be said in that regard below under Section Five.
Summation to This Point:
What do the cuneiform texts tell us about Nibiru – particularly in contradiction to Zecharia
Sitchin? Here’s the list:
25
Hermann Hunger and David Pingree, MUL.APIN: An Astronomical Compendium in Cuneiform, Archiv fur
Orientforschung 24 (Verlag Ferdinand Berger & Sohne Gesellschaft MBH, Austria, 1989): p. 146
1) Nibiru is called a star.
2) Nibiru is called a planet – nearly always Jupiter-Marduk, but once Mercury, and never
anything beyond Pluto or the known planets.
3) The Sumerians, by their own records, knew of only five planets (and accepted the sun
and moon as planets).
4) Nibiru is never mentioned in any respect with the Anunnaki; it is never said to have
been or be inhabited.
5) Nibiru is both a “fixed star” in some relationship to constellations (whether a member
or just in proximity is unknown) that “holds” them in their courses, but is also
described as “changing position” and “crossing” the sky at times.
6) Nibiru was seen every year, which demolishes Sitchin’s view of a 3600 year cycle for
it.
Hopefully the reader is getting a hint of two things: (1) That Sitchin’s teachings are
false; (2) that there seems to be warrant for the single scholarly article I referenced in the
introduction that postulated Nibiru might be the pole star which has changed position in the
sky. Unfortunately, I do not know much about astronomy so I cannot evaluate this. I will,
in the final section, lay out the now-rejected scholarly interpretation of Nibiru (I am not
referring to Sitchin here, but actual Sumero-Mesopotamian scholars of the last century) and
the pole-shift interpretation.
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