Zecharia Sitchin
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 👤 Person
Contents 5
| Type | Person |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Sitchin |
Zecharia Sitchin (11 July 1920 – 9 October 2010) was an author whose books claimed that the ancient Sumerian civilisation was created by the Anunnaki, a race of extraterrestrials from a planet called Nibiru. His work sold millions of copies but is rejected by historians, Assyriologists and astronomers as pseudohistory based on mistranslations.[1][2]
Life
Sitchin was born to a Jewish family in Baku, Azerbaijan, and grew up in Mandatory Palestine. He worked as an editor and journalist in Israel before moving to New York in 1952, where he worked for a shipping company and taught himself Sumerian cuneiform.[1]
His theory
In The 12th Planet (1976) and later books in his Earth Chronicles series, Sitchin argued that an undiscovered planet, Nibiru, travels on a long elliptical orbit that brings it into the inner Solar System about every 3,600 years. According to him, its inhabitants, the Anunnaki, came to Earth about 450,000 years ago to mine gold in Africa, and created modern humans by genetic engineering to work as labourers. He believed human civilisation in Sumer was set up under their guidance.[1]
Criticism
Scholars have criticised his translations, methods and astronomy.[1]
- Translations. Biblical scholar Michael Heiser and historian Ronald Fritze found many errors in his readings of ancient texts and accused him of quoting selectively.
- Seal VA 243. Sitchin claimed this ancient seal showed the Sun and its planets, but specialists say its dots are stars, and its inscription has been read as a message from a nobleman to a servant.
- The number of planets. Mesopotamian astronomical records count five planets, not twelve.
No planet like Nibiru has ever been found. The idea was later taken up by others who predicted that Nibiru would collide with the Earth, notably in 2012, prompting NASA to state that no such planet was coming.[2]
Influence
Despite academic dismissal, Sitchin had a devoted following and was a frequent guest on the radio programme Coast to Coast AM.[1] His ideas influenced ancient astronaut writers, the Raëlian movement and films such as Stargate.[1]
References
- Zecharia Sitchin — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Nola Taylor Tillman, "Nibiru: The Nonexistent Planet", Space.com (2021) · space.com · archived copy
This page was last edited on 31 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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