Sumer, Space Beings, and "Angels"

Wisdom Quarterly, originally from an essay by Richard Ebbs

A protected Earth could easily be smited by the Sun were it not for terraforming and genetic engineering from advanced worlds far beyond this planet.

What was Sumeria?
Sumerian society is the oldest society that has left us clear evidence of the use of a winged humanoid motif. This evidence is in the form of stone carvings, both in 3D statues and in bas relief imprints that provide the illusion of three-dimensionality. Sumerian culture flourished around 3,000 BC between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in present-day Iraq.

This map shows the geographical extent of the ancient Sumerian culture.

The religion of these people was complex, embracing a wide variety of spirits and "gods." Their pantheon is analogous to Indian, Greek, and Roman deities. But these are not gods at all. They are devas, advanced beings, who are long-lived and powerful, but flawed and very limited in their understanding. However, compared to us and our forebears, they are gods. And we evolved in their image, through genetic intervention, and by the introduction of their technology in far flung cultures around the world.

Sumerian cylinders rolled out on clay form tablets with pictographs and hieroglyphs

But of particular interest was their belief in "messengers of the gods" [angel simply means emissary], forces who ran errands between space beings (gods) and humans. The Sumerians also believed that each person had a "ghost" of some sort (what we would probably now label a "guardian angel"). This entity remained a constant companion for a person throughout life. Altars [altering places] that appear to be dedicated to guardian angels have been found in the excavations of ancient Sumerian homes, alongside stone engravings and wall paintings of human figures with wings.

After the polytheistic Semitic tribes conquered the Sumerians around 1900 BC their mythical cosmology borrowed the notion of angels from the vanquished Sumerians. These Semitic peoples, influenced and instructed by different space beings, developed the idea of angels split into groupings answerable to each of the many Semitic gods. All of this is not say that they did not believe in a supreme God.

The gods were powerful beings and rulers of varying ranks. Further subdividing these groups into vertical "ranked" hierarchies, this notion persisted into Zoroastrianism, monotheistic Judaism, and beyond. Ancient India, like Sumeria and Egypt, well knew and very clearly explained that these were beings from space. The Vimana Shastra (Vaimanika Shastra) explains their flight technology and even has instructions for building such crafts.

Endeavour shuttle craft is based on alien technology

Sumerian ideas likely set the scene for the development of Egyptian theology as well, although it is difficult to be clear about the detail of such cross-cultural influences.

"The civilization of the Jemdet Nasr period of Mesopotamia and the archaic period of Egypt are apparently roughly contemporary, but the interesting point is that in Mesopotamia many of the features of civilization appear to have a background, whereas in Egypt they do not. It is on this basis that many authorities consider that Egypt owes her civilization to the people of the Euphrates. There is no doubt that there is a connection, but whether direct or indirect we do not know" (Walter B. Emergy).

"There are certain elements in Egypt's Early Dynastic Period which seem to betray unmistakable Sumerian influence. Egyptian hieroglyphic writing may be one. Another is the so-called 'paneled-facade' type of architecture found in Egyptian tombs from the First to the Third Dynasties (3200 to 2800 B.C.). The most remarkable evidence of cultural connection is that shown in the architecture of the Early Dynastic tombs of Egypt and Mesopotamian seal-impressions showing almost exactly similar buildings" (Leonard Cottrell in The Quest for Sumer).

Sumerian domination of the Middle East came to an end around 2,000 BC, when Sumer was defeated militarily. The overlapping Assyrian and Babylonian cultures took over. Winged figures can also be found among the icons of ancient Assyria and Babylonia. But exactly how did images of angelic beings find their way into the hearts, minds, and iconography of the Sumerian peoples?

Where did the notion of an "angel" (space messenger) come from before that? It is fortunate we have had the extremely durable stone artifacts of this period handed down. But (as with the Dark Ages much later in Europe) just because a culture does not commit itself to writing, painting, carving, and sculpting artifacts that last thousands of years, this does not mean that there is no culture.

It is certain that the motif of a winged humanoid figure goes back much further than Sumeria. The motif goes back to the time of shamans around the world, revealed by entheogens and ascetic purification practices. Recent evidence suggests that this is the case. A History of Angels in Western Thought (Richard Ebbs)

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