Anunnaki

The Anunnaki are a group of deities in ancient Mesopotamian cultures, particularly in Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian mythologies. The word “Anunnaki” is of Sumerian origin, and it is often translated as “those of royal blood” or “princely offspring.” These deities played a significant role in the creation and governance of the world according to Mesopotamian cosmology.

Mesopotamian cultures were some of the earliest civilizations that emerged in the fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, around 3500 BCE in what is now Iraq and parts of Iran, Syria, and Turkey. Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians were among the key Mesopotamian societies.

They developed sophisticated city-states, with advanced systems of writing, such as cuneiform, and created monumental architecture like ziggurats^[1]. The people had complex religious beliefs, with a pantheon of deities like the Anunnaki, and their mythology influenced later cultures.

The Code of Hammurabi^[2], one of the earliest known legal codes, reflected their legal and social structures. Mesopotamians engaged in trade, agriculture, and craftsmanship, leaving a lasting impact on the development of human civilization. The term “Anunnaki” is composed of two Sumerian elements:

“An,” meaning “heaven,” and “nuna,” meaning “prince” or “offspring.” Therefore, Anunnaki can be translated as “princely offspring of heaven” or “those who came from the sky.” The Anunnaki were revered as powerful and divine beings, and their worship was an integral part of the religious practices in ancient Mesopotamia. Temples were dedicated to various Anunnaki deities, and rituals and offerings were performed to seek their favor.

Each deity within the Anunnaki pantheon had specific attributes and domains, and they were often depicted in various forms. For example, Anu, the chief god and father of the Anunnaki, was sometimes represented as a bull or in anthropomorphic form^[3]. The mythology surrounding the Anunnaki is complex and varies across different Mesopotamian cultures. One of the most well-known myths is the Enuma Elish, the Babylonian creation epic.

In this myth, the god Marduk, a later addition to the Anunnaki pantheon, rises to prominence and becomes the chief deity by defeating the primordial goddess Tiamat. The Anunnaki are portrayed as participants in the divine council, influencing the creation and fate of humanity. Another important figure among the Anunnaki is Enki, associated with wisdom and water. Enki plays a crucial role in several myths, including the creation of humans from clay. The Anunnaki are also linked to the Igigi, a group of deities who were tasked with labor and later rebelled against the oppressive work.

Over a series of published books (starting with Chariots of the Gods? in 1968), pseudoarcheologist Erich von Däniken claimed that extraterrestrial “ancient astronauts” had visited a prehistoric Earth. Däniken explains the origins of religions as reactions to contact with an alien race, and offers interpretations of Sumerian texts and the Old Testament as evidence. In his 1976 book The Twelfth Planet, author Zecharia Sitchin claimed that the Anunnaki were actually an advanced humanoid extraterrestrial species from the undiscovered planet Nibiru,

who came to Earth around 500,000 years ago and constructed a base of operations in order to mine gold after discovering that the planet was rich in the precious metal. According to Sitchin, the Anunnaki hybridized their species and Homo erectus via in vitro fertilization in order to create humans as a slave species of miners. Sitchin claimed that the Anunnaki were forced to temporarily leave Earth’s surface and orbit the planet when Antarctic glaciers melted, causing the Great Flood, which also destroyed the Anunnaki’s bases on Earth.

These had to be rebuilt, and the Anunnaki, needing more humans to help in this massive effort, taught mankind agriculture. David Icke, the British conspiracy theorist who popularised the reptilian conspiracy theory, has claimed that the reptilian overlords of his theory are in fact the Anunnaki. Clearly influenced by Sitchin’s writings, Icke adapts them “in favor of his own New Age and conspiratorial agenda”. Icke’s speculation on the Anunnaki incorporates far-right views on history, positing an Aryan master race descended by blood from the Anunnaki.

It also incorporates dragons, Dracula, and draconian laws, these three elements apparently linked only by superficial linguistic similarity. He formulated his views on the Anunnaki in the 1990s and has written several books about his theory.