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Sumerian Figures

As the earliest known civilization in human history, Sumer flourished in the southern region of Mesopotamia, in what is present-day southern Iraq. It is here that the foundations of urban life, writing, law, and complex society were laid.

In this section of our website, we invite you to discover the fascinating world of Sumerian figures, whose contributions shaped the course of history and left an enduring impact on human civilization. From visionary rulers and revered gods to ingenious inventors and accomplished artisans, these individuals embody the spirit and ingenuity of the Sumerian people.

Shaman, Shaman and Chief from Father Crespi tablets photos. Images provided by the author.
19 April, 2018 - 13:58 Clyde Winters

Representation of Sumerian Elites Detected in the Crespi Gold Tablets

It is becoming increasingly clear that the Sumerians had established a colony in South America called Kuga-Ki. Kuga-Ki was the "Tin Land of the West" or the "Sunset Land", in Sumerian inscriptions...
One of the buildings uncovered at the Sumerian port town of Abu Tbeirah, its function is still unknown.
23 March, 2018 - 21:49 Alicia McDermott

4,000-Year-Old Sumerian Port Shows the Famed Civilization Excelled at Sea Too

Now it’s a desert, but 4000 years ago the ancient site of Abu Tbeirah in southern Iraq was a thriving Sumerian port town. It was a hub where ships set sail for distant lands such as the Indus Valley...
Cult scene: the worship of the sun-god, Shamash. Limestone cylinder-seal, Mesopotamia.
13 March, 2018 - 01:04 Clyde Winters

Reading the So-Called Sumerian Seals Relating to Gods from Outer Space

In a recent article on Ancient Origins , Jason Jarrell and Sarah Farmer discussed the possibility that Zecharia Sitchin mistranslated several Sumerian Texts. According to Sitchin, there were a number...
Photo of Zecharia Sitchin (left)(CC0)Akkadian cylinder seal dating to circa 2300 BC depicting the deities Inanna, Utu, and Enki, three members of the Anunnaki.(right)
15 January, 2018 - 18:44 Jason Jarrell

Zecharia Sitchin and the Mistranslation of Sumerian Texts

In a previous 2-part article (1), the authors wrote about the faulty associations of the Sumerian deities known as the Anunnaki as they are portrayed in the books, television series, and other media...
Plate 1: Australian eastern seaboard (Google Earth), Statue of Garuda (Hyougushi / Hideyuki KAMON from National Museum in Delhi, India/CC BY-SA 2.0) and Tamil inscriptions, Tamil Nadu. (Shivz Photography/CC BY 2.0) Deriv.
6 December, 2017 - 22:49 William James Veall

History’s Lost Transoceanic Voyages: Tamils and Sumerians Among the FIRST to Reach Australia and Antarctica?— PART II

Regarding interesting inscriptions and shapes found by satellite archaeology, revealing what might be ancient human occupation on the continent of Antarctica, author William James Veall writes that...
Plate 1: Australian eastern seaboard (Google Earth), statue of a Sumerian woman c. 2400 BC
6 December, 2017 - 18:57 William James Veall

Tamils and Sumerians Among the FIRST to Reach Australia and Antarctica? PART I

Guest Author, Satellite Archaeologist, and Independent Researcher, William James Veall updates his recently published article on "Antarctica Writings" on Ancient Origins , to include an alternative...
Ordered universe and cuneiform (Public Domain) and statue of Gilgamesh.
16 November, 2017 - 18:56 Jason Jarrell

Anunnaki Revealed: Finding the Nephilim in Myth, Giants Among Men– Part II

READ PART I Central to Ancient Astronaut Theory and author Zecharia Sitchin’s narrative, is a group of mythic beings known as the Anunnaki, whom he claimed crossed their own DNA with that of Homo...
relief at the ancient Persian city of Persepolis (now in modern Iran), including inscriptions in cuneiform, the world’s oldest form of writing.
6 October, 2017 - 22:56 ancient-origins

The Controversial Road to the Recovery of Cuneiform Texts

It is a little-known piece of history that Saddam Hussein was a great fan of ancient Mesopotamian literature. His enthusiasm for epics written in cuneiform – the world’s oldest known form of writing...
The Giza Pyramids - CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, and Egyptian god Thoth – CC0)
2 October, 2017 - 18:55 Armando Mei

Who Really Built the Pyramids of Giza? Thoth’s Enigmatic Emerald Tablets May Provide the Answer

The Emerald Tablets are one of the greatest enigmas of archaeology. They can be considered an obscure side of Egyptian mythology, characterized by events where myth seems to meet history. Scholars...
Louvre Museum, Department of Near Eastern Antiquities: Gilgamesh and Lion, Human headed winged bull, Assyria.
14 September, 2017 - 13:57 Kerry Sullivan

The Ascension of Gilgamesh: Did the Epic Hero Actually Exist?

The Epic of Gilgamesh is widely recognized and frequently a required reading for world literature courses. The poem is considered a masterpiece in its own right, not just because it is the earliest...
Sip Like a Sumerian: Ancient Beer Recipe Recreated from Millennia-Old Cuneiform Tablets
11 July, 2017 - 01:52 aprilholloway

Sip Like a Sumerian: Ancient Beer Recipe Recreated from Millennia-Old Cuneiform Tablets

Nowadays, people drink beer for its good taste and feel-good effects. However, thousands of years ago, beer played a much more central role in society. The Sumerian word for beer appears in many...
The Exceptional Inscription on the Pokotia Monument – Evidence of Sumerian Script in Bolivia?
15 May, 2017 - 14:05 Clyde Winters

The Exceptional Inscription on the Pokotia Monument – Evidence of Sumerian Script in Bolivia?

There is a very intriguing inscription on the back of the Pokotia Monolith. What makes it stand out is that it was written in linear Sumerian. Even more exciting is that it provides further evidence...
Sumerian chaos monster and sun god
9 May, 2017 - 01:58 ancient-origins

Forget Death and Seek Life! Fascinating Insights into The Human Condition in 4,000-Year-Old Epic of Gilgamesh

“Forget death and seek life!” With these encouraging words, Gilgamesh, the star of the eponymous 4000-year-old epic poem, coins the world’s first heroic catchphrase. At the same time, the young king...
A photo of the Kushim Tablet.
12 April, 2017 - 01:59 dhwty

Leaving A Mark in History: The Oldest Known Named Person

The oldest named person that we know belongs to an individual from Sumer, one of the earliest urban civilisations in southern Mesopotamia, in present day Iraq. A person’s name is an integral part of...
Leaving an Impression: Revealing the Intricate Story of Sumerian Cylinder Seals
9 March, 2017 - 18:57 dhwty

Leaving an Impression: Revealing the Intricate Story of Sumerian Cylinder Seals

A cylinder seal is a small cylindrical object with images, words, or both, engraved onto it. Sumerian cylinder seals would be rolled over wet clay to make an impression. When the clay dried, a seal...
‘Jacob’s Dream’ with Jacob’s ladder (1660-1665) by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.
8 March, 2017 - 18:50 Kerry Sullivan

Hopes, Fears, Progress…and Maybe DNA? Unravelling the Real Meaning of Jacob’s Ladder

Jacob’s Ladder is the common term (particularly in the West) used to describe a bridge that connects Heaven and Earth. More broadly speaking, the ladder represents an ancient symbol of unknown...
Statue of Gudea, prince of Lagash (long after King Eannatum) neo-Sumerian period, 2120 BC (Public Domain) and a fragment of the Stele of the Vultures (CC BY-SA 3.0);Deriv.
6 March, 2017 - 15:28 Cam Rea

King Destroys Those on his Hit List, One by One – Eannatum: The First Conqueror? Part I

Between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, lies a land known as Mesopotamia. It was here that men found suitable land, which they pierced, ripped, and seeded. Once the seeds took root, civilization was...
Instructions of Shuruppak: 4,600 Years Ago, A Sumerian King Instructed His Son on How to Behave
4 January, 2017 - 03:51 dhwty

Instructions of Shuruppak: 4,600 Years Ago, A Sumerian King Instructed His Son on How to Behave

The Instructions of Shuruppak are a set of 4,600-year-old Sumerian proverbs given by a king to his son, which essentially set out how he should behave. The ancient inscriptions were engraved in...
The Kesh Temple Hymn: 5,600-Year-Old Sumerian Hymn Praises Enlil, Ruler of Gods
3 January, 2017 - 14:45 Veronica Parkes

The Kesh Temple Hymn: 4,600-Year-Old Sumerian Hymn Praises Enlil, Ruler of Gods

Like many foundational inventions that we use every day, such as wheels and law codes, the Ancient Sumerians living in Ancient Mesopotamia, the so-called cradle of civilization, created the oldest...
The Descent of Inanna into the Underworld: A 5,500-Year-Old Literary Masterpiece
2 January, 2017 - 14:49 dhwty

The Descent of Inanna into the Underworld: A 5,500-Year-Old Literary Masterpiece

The Descent of Inanna (known also as ‘Inanna’s Descent to the Netherworld / Underworld’) is a piece of work in the literary corpus of ancient Mesopotamia. This story, which was originally written in...
The Mythical Dilmun and The Island of the Dead
11 October, 2016 - 21:57 Jason Jarrell

The Mythical Dilmun and The Island of the Dead

In Sumerian mythology, the mythical Dilmun was known as the bright and pure land, a paradise where sickness and death did not exist. The land of Dilmun was filled with divinely ordained and abundant...
Iraqi Transport Minister Announces that Sumerians Launched Spaceships 7,000 Years Ago
4 October, 2016 - 17:56 aprilholloway

Iraqi Transport Minister Announces that Sumerians Launched Spaceships 7,000 Years Ago

The Minister for Transport in Iraq made a controversial speech at the inauguration of a new airport in southern Dhi Qar, in which he stated that ancient Sumerians built the first airports 7,000 years...
Was Bolivia-Peru the Sunset Land of the Sumerians?
24 September, 2016 - 21:52 Clyde Winters

Was Bolivia-Peru the Sunset Land of the Sumerians?

In an article on the Fuente Magna Bowl , April Holloway highlighted the evidence of Sumerian writing in South America. The Fuente Magna Bowl and Pokotia monument indicate that Sumerians may have...
A Drink Fit for Goddesses: Beer and Mankind in Ancient Mythology
10 September, 2016 - 01:58 MartiniF

A Drink Fit for Goddesses: Beer and Mankind in Ancient Mythology

It is widely known these days that beer is one of the oldest beverages human beings have ever produced. Beer-related items and activities familiar to us today can be traced back to the ancient world...

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