When Time Began

When Time Began, published in 1993, is the fifth book in Zecharia Sitchin's Earth Chronicles series. It examines the Anunnaki's role in creating systems of timekeeping, the calendar, and the profound significance of the precessional cycle.

Overview

Sitchin argues that time is not an abstract human invention but a structured system imposed upon Earth by the Anunnaki. The book explores:

1. The Invention of the Calendar — The Sumerian calendar and its celestial basis
2. The Zodiac — The twelve constellations and their Anunnaki connections
3. The Precessional Cycle — The 25,920-year wobble of Earth's axis
4. The Sphinx — Dating the Great Sphinx to the Age of Leo (10,500 BCE)
5. Stonehenge and Megalithic Monuments — Their astronomical alignments
6. The Counting of Time — The NÉRU (3,600 years) and the Šar (36,000 years)

The Precessional Cycle

Sitchin places special emphasis on precession — the slow wobble of Earth's rotational axis that completes one full cycle approximately every 25,920 years. He notes that ancient cultures worldwide were aware of this phenomenon, which required thousands of years of observation to detect.

"The knowledge of precession, which modern science discovered only in the second century BCE, was fully known to the Anunnaki — and transmitted by them to the early civilizations of Sumer, Egypt, and the Americas."

Each age of the zodiac lasts approximately 2,160 years (1/12 of the precessional cycle), matching the NÉRU unit divided by one and two-thirds.

The Calendar

The Sumerian calendar was remarkably sophisticated: - 12 months of 30 days each - An intercalary month added periodically - The year divided into two seasons: entu (summer) and ebur (winter) - The week of 7 days, tied to the seven celestial bodies visible to the naked eye

Sitchin connects the 12-month calendar to the 12 members of the Anunnaki council and the 12 zodiacal houses.

Key Arguments

The Sphinx as a Time Marker

Sitchin argues that the Great Sphinx at Giza was built when the sun rose in the constellation Leo on the spring equinox — approximately 10,500 BCE. This would make the Sphinx more than 12,000 years old, predating mainstream Egyptological dating by thousands of years.

Stonehenge and Megalithic Astronomy

The alignment of Stonehenge with the solstices, and similar alignments at sites worldwide, suggest a global network of astronomical observation posts established by the Anunnaki.

The Divine Calendar

The Anunnaki operated on a calendar based on Nibiru's 3,600-year orbit. This "divine year" was divided into 12 "divine months" of 300 Earth years each, creating a system of timekeeping that Sitchin finds encoded in the structure of the Bible's genealogies and prophecies.

See Also

• NÉRU — The 3,600-year time unit
• Šar — The 36,000-year cycle
• Calendar — Calendrical systems
• Precession — The precessional cycle
• Sacred Numbers — Sacred numbers
• Giza — The Giza complex

Sources

• Sitchin, Z. (1993). When Time Began. New York: Harper.
• Hancock, G. (1995). Fingerprints of the Gods. (Corroborating research on precession)
• Sellers, J. (1992). The Death of Gods in Ancient Egypt.