Calendar
The calendar is one of the most important legacies of the Anunnaki according to Zecharia Sitchin. He argued that the Sumerians did not invent the calendar but received it as a fully developed system from their Anunnaki masters — a system that encoded advanced astronomical knowledge about Nibiru and the precessional cycle.
The Sumerian Calendar
The Sumerians used a sophisticated lunisolar calendar:
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Year | Solar year of 360 days (with intercalary months) |
| Months | 12 lunar months of 30 days each |
| Week | 7 days, named after the seven celestial bodies |
| Day | Divided into 12 “double hours” (60 minutes each) |
| Intercalation | Periodic addition of a 13th month to align with seasons |
The Sumerian calendar was the foundation upon which all subsequent Near Eastern calendars (Babylonian, Assyrian, Hebrew) were built.
The Divine Calendar
Sitchin identified a separate “divine calendar” used by the Anunnaki, based on the orbit of Nibiru:
- 1 Nibiru year = 3,600 Earth years (NERU)
- 1 Nibiru month = 300 Earth years
- 1 Nibiru day = 1 Earth year (approximately)
“The gods lived by a different clock than humans. One day of the gods was one year of men.”
The 360-Day Year
The Sumerian calendar year of 360 days (12 × 30) was, Sitchin argued, not based on the solar year (365.25 days) but on a celestial cycle. The number 360 appears repeatedly in:
- Degrees in a circle
- The base-60 numerical system
- The Sumerian year
- The ideal number of days in the Nibiru year
The Zodiac
Sitchin gave special attention to the zodiac, which he argued the Anunnaki divided into 12 houses. Each house corresponds to 30° of the celestial path and approximately 2,160 years of the precessional cycle:
| Zodiac Age | Duration (BCE/CE) |
|---|---|
| Age of Leo | 10,800 – 8,640 BCE |
| Age of Cancer | 8,640 – 6,480 BCE |
| Age of Gemini | 6,480 – 4,320 BCE |
| Age of Taurus | 4,320 – 2,160 BCE |
| Age of Aries | 2,160 – 1 BCE |
| Age of Pisces | 1 CE – 2,160 CE |
| Age of Aquarius | 2,160 – 4,320 CE |
Go deeper: Precession, NERU, Shar, and Sacred-Numbers. This page frames the calendar theme.
Sitchin Analysis
Where Sitchin Agrees with Mainstream
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The Sumerians used a lunisolar calendar: Both Sitchin and mainstream Assyriology agree on twelve lunar months with an intercalary thirteenth to track the seasons. This is not disputed.
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A schematic 360-day year existed: Both agree an idealized administrative year of 12 × 30 days was used.
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Base-60 time descends from Sumer: Both agree our 60-minute hour and 360-degree circle are Mesopotamian.
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The 12-sign zodiac is Babylonian: Both agree its origin lies in Babylonian astronomy.
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The calendar underlies later ones: Both agree Babylonian, Assyrian, and Hebrew calendars build on it.
Where They Differ
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Received or developed: Sitchin says the calendar arrived fully formed from the Anunnaki. Mainstream documents its development over centuries.
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The 360-day year: Sitchin ties it to a Nibiru cycle. Mainstream reads a schematic administrative year, later corrected.
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A “divine calendar”: Sitchin sets 1 Nibiru year = 3,600 Earth years. Mainstream finds no such calendar attested.
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The zodiac: Sitchin reads inherited Anunnaki astronomy. Mainstream reads a Babylonian human invention.
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The ages: Sitchin makes them drive history. Mainstream reads an astrological framework.
PRO vs CONTRA
| Argument PRO (Sitchin) | Counterargument (mainstream) |
|---|---|
| The Sumerians used a sophisticated lunisolar calendar | Agreed - developed by Mesopotamian astronomers, not handed down whole |
| They received the calendar fully formed from the Anunnaki | The calendar evolved over centuries of observation and administrative practice |
| The 360-day year reflects the Nibiru cycle | The 360-day year is a schematic administrative year (12 × 30), later corrected |
| A “divine calendar” set 1 Nibiru year = 3,600 Earth years | No such calendar is attested; it is Sitchin’s construct from the šár |
| The 12-house zodiac encodes Anunnaki astronomy | The 12-sign zodiac is a Babylonian invention, human astronomy |
| The zodiac ages time the epochs of civilization | That is an astrological framework, not a mechanism of history |
| Base-60 time proves an inherited advanced system | Base-60 is a human Mesopotamian convention, still practical today |
| The calendar’s precision needed off-world knowledge | Lunisolar calendars were refined by many ancient societies independently |
See Also
- Precession — The precessional cycle
- NERU — The 3,600-year time unit
- Shar — The 36,000-year cycle
- Sacred-Numbers — Sacred numbers
- When-Time-Began — Sitchin’s book on time
- Nannar — The moon god, timekeeper
Sources
- Sitchin, Z. (1993). When Time Began. Chapters 2-4.
- Sitchin, Z. (1976). The 12th Planet.
- Neugebauer, O. (1969). The Exact Sciences in Antiquity. Dover Publications.