Precese (Precession — The Precessional Cycle)
Precession refers to the slow, conical wobble of Earth’s rotational axis, which completes one full cycle approximately every 25,920 years. This phenomenon causes the position of the stars to shift slowly over time and changes which constellation rises with the Sun on the spring equinox — marking the “ages” of the zodiac.
Zecharia Sitchin gave the precessional cycle central importance in his interpretation of ancient knowledge, arguing that the Anunnaki not only understood precession but encoded its timing into the structure of mythology, religion, and monumental architecture.
Understanding Precession
| Cycle Element | Duration |
|---|---|
| Full cycle (Great Year) | 25,920 years |
| One zodiac age | 2,160 years (1/12 of cycle) |
| One degree of wobble | 72 years |
Precession is caused by the gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon on Earth’s equatorial bulge. It was discovered by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus of Nicaea in the 2nd century BCE — but Sitchin argued that the Anunnaki knew of it thousands of years earlier.
Sitchin’s Arguments
“The knowledge of precession is the key to understanding the Anunnaki calendar and their influence on human civilization. It is the hidden code in the myths.”
The Sphinx as a Time Marker
The Sphinx at Giza is oriented due east, looking directly at the rising sun on the equinox. Sitchin (following the work of Robert Bauval and Graham Hancock) argued that the Sphinx 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.
The Precessional Numbers
Sitchin identified the precessional numbers embedded in Sumerian and biblical texts:
- 72 years per degree — Appears in the 72 names of God, the 72 disciples sent out by Jesus
- 2,160 years per age — The NERU (3,600) divided by 1.67
- 25,920 years — The full cycle, encoded in the dimensions of the Great Pyramid
The Ages of the Zodiac
Each age of approximately 2,160 years corresponds to a major transformation in human civilization:
| Age | Dates | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Leo | 10,800–8,640 BCE | Post-Flood period, Sphinx built |
| Cancer | 8,640–6,480 BCE | Neolithic revolution |
| Gemini | 6,480–4,320 BCE | Early civilization |
| Taurus | 4,320–2,160 BCE | Minoan, Sumerian, Egyptian civilizations |
| Aries | 2,160–1 BCE | Israelite, Persian, Greek empires |
| Pisces | 1–2,160 CE | Christian era, current age |
| Aquarius | 2,160–4,320 CE | Future age |
The Great Year
The concept of the “Great Year” (the full precessional cycle) was known to many ancient cultures:
- The Hindu Yuga cycle
- The Mayan Long Count calendar
- The Greek concept of the “Great Year”
- The Sumerian Shar (36,000 years, a variation)
Sitchin Analysis
Where Sitchin Agrees with Mainstream
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Precession is real: Both Sitchin and mainstream astronomy agree Earth’s axis wobbles through the zodiac, roughly 2,160 years per age and 72 years per degree. This is not disputed.
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It shifts the equinox stars: Both agree the constellation rising at the spring equinox changes slowly over the cycle.
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The Sphinx faces due east: Both agree it looks toward the equinox sunrise.
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Ancient cultures had a “Great Year”: Both agree Plato’s Great Year and the Hindu yugas reflect long-cycle cosmologies.
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Hipparchus is the named discoverer: Both agree he described precession in the 2nd century B.C.
Where They Differ
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Who knew it first: Sitchin says the Anunnaki knew precession millennia earlier. Mainstream finds no cuneiform source that measures the 25,920-year cycle.
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The Sphinx’s date: Sitchin reads the Age of Leo, c. 10,500 B.C. Mainstream dates it to Khafre, c. 2500 B.C.
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Hidden numbers: Sitchin reads 72 and 2,160 into texts and monuments. Mainstream reads numerology.
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The zodiac ages: Sitchin makes them drivers of history. Mainstream reads an astrological framework.
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The true period: Sitchin uses 25,920. The measured value is about 25,772 years; 25,920 is an idealized round figure.
PRO vs CONTRA
| Argument PRO (Sitchin) | Counterargument (mainstream) |
|---|---|
| Precession is real, ~2,160 years per zodiac age | Agreed - but the true period is ~25,772 years; 25,920 is an idealized round figure |
| The Anunnaki knew precession millennia before Hipparchus | No cuneiform source measures the 25,920-year cycle; it is first attested with Hipparchus |
| The Sphinx was built in the Age of Leo, c. 10,500 B.C. | Egyptology dates the Sphinx to Khafre’s reign, c. 2500 B.C. |
| The number 72 (years per degree) hides in the “72 names of God” | 72 is a common highly divisible number; the linkage is numerology |
| The Great Pyramid encodes the 25,920-year cycle | The correspondence depends on chosen units and rounding |
| The zodiac ages drive the transformations of civilization | That is an astrological framework, not a mechanism of history |
| Hindu, Mayan, and Greek “Great Year” ideas share one source | Long-cycle cosmologies arose independently across cultures |
| The precessional code is the hidden key to the myths | Reading exact constants into myth is retrofitting numbers onto stories |
See Also
- Calendar — The calendar system
- Sacred-Numbers — Sacred numbers
- NERU — The 3,600-year unit
- Shar — The 36,000-year cycle
- Giza — The Sphinx and pyramids
- When-Time-Began — Sitchin’s book on time
- Archaeoastronomy-of-Giza — Giza’s astronomical alignments
Sources
- Sitchin, Z. (1993). When Time Began. Chapters 3-5.
- Sitchin, Z. (2007). The End of Days.
- Hancock, G. (1995). Fingerprints of the Gods.
- Bauval, R. & Gilbert, A. (1994). The Orion Mystery.