Sumerian 6 Sign Zodiac and Mayan Calendar 360-Day-Tun-Years

The Antediluvian Calendar in Genesis 5 illustrates theThe Sumerian year had 12-lunar-months, based upon
early Black Head Sumerian zodiac that had sixphases of the moon and just two seasons. Summer
astrological signs. Sumerian and Babylonian animalbegan on the vernal spring equinox, lasting 6-months
zodiacs stipulate the vernal equinox began the Newthrough until the autumnal equinox. Winter was the
Year. Mayan Calendar 260-day-Tzolken-sacred-yearsharvest season and outlined by monthly written
and 360-day-Tun-years are products of the Decancharacters for hand, seed, grain and cutting. Sighting
stars and numbering systems. Egyptian, Greek, Roman,new moon crescents determined the length of month
Chinese, Hindu and African people shared a 12-monthand intercalary lunar months were necessary to keep
zodiac. Numerically matching 364-day-Ethiopic-yearsthe lunar year on track with the solar year. Sumerian,
with 364-year-Ethiopic-cycles demonstrates astrologyancient Hindu and later Semitic days began at
in ancient religion.sundown.
Sumerian 6 Sign Zodiac and Mayan CalendarThe Sumerian zodiac had only six houses or star
360-Day-Tun-Yearsgroups. Modern astrology includes 12 houses or sky
The Antediluvian Calendar in Genesis 5 establishesdivisions, including the hidden part beneath the horizon,
original counting techniques that carry forward toand numbers the position from the east at the time of
variations of Jewish and Mesoamerican calendarobservation. The first house is rising when the seventh
systems. Significant 364-day-Ethiopic-years and thehouse is setting in the west, so six houses are visible
matching corollary term, 364-year-Ethiopic-cyclesat night. Sumerians spaced their houses some
manifest similar traits. Mayan 52-year Calendar60-degrees apart or about 60-days during the course
Rounds and Judaic 50-year Jubilee Cycles have nearlyof a year instead of today’s 30-day monthly
identical properties regarding the 360-day midpointdivision. Sumerians cast the first spiritual underpinnings
length of year. Discernable differences arise from howthat relate astrological positions to governing events in
the calendars marked four special days in the old year.the future. National affairs such as war, drought and a
New Year beginnings and the annual tally within eachplentiful harvest were the concerns of original
cycle are a direct result. Many Mesoamericanastrology. Priests advised the king and other ruling
Calendar variations exist to suggest no firm rules everauthorities when and how to act in order to appease
did apply. Middle Eastern influences controlling religiousthe gods. The sky heaven “An” had a masculine
Judaism were contributing factors as well. An ancientnature. Earth “Ki” had a feminine nature and
Babylonian tradition recites the Creation epic on thetogether An and Ki bore “Enlil.” Enlil was the god
fourth day of the New Year’s festival. Exactlyof the air, who ruled over the “lil” wind or
when and how ancient New Year’s Daysatmosphere.
increment next year counts within a greater cycle is aBabylonian astrology-astronomy provides clues we
contentious subject.need to study 360-day-Tun-years in more detail and
Annual procedures leading to New Year’s Daybridge the gap between Mayan and Jewish Calendars.
on the vernal, spring equinox divide a Judaic 360-dayConsider looking at the zodiac on the vernal equinox.
midpoint length of year into four equal quarters havingBabylonian astronomer priests established a standard
90-days each. The vernal equinox occurs in springtimeset of 18 constellations along and around the ecliptic as
when the ecliptic intersects the celestial equator. Oneearly as 2,000 B.C.E. Stars outside the zodiac belt
single day each quarter aligns with each Royalwere useful for orientation purposes. Babylonian
day-star. The four archangel stars conclusively identifyastronomer priests later divided the year into 12 star
as Regulus, Aldebaran, Antares and Fomalhaut. Theseconstellations. Dawn heliacal risings for each sign were
four archangel stars once signified four cardinal pointsseparate by about 30-days. Precision involved erecting
in the ancient year. Descriptions in the Books of Enochfixed sacred pillars called Baals in the Old Testament
and elsewhere add these 4-day stars to 360-daysfor observation purposes. Egyptian and early
every year to create the 364-day-Ethiopic-year. OneBabylonian zodiacs had 36 Decans or star groups
Royal day-star adds with each of four quarters. Earlywhich were separated by about 10-days during the
astronomy and astrology combine long ago. Regulusyear. Prior to the Roman Julian Calendar, the Romans
introduces the summer solstice. Regulus is the heart ofwere using a 10-month calendar with 36-day-months.
the constellation Leo the lion and leader of the fourEventually 12-months stabilized more or less in their
royal stars. Aldebaran is a red giant star and the Eyecurrent configuration. Lunar months having 29-days or
of Taurus the Bull. Antares is the heart of the Scorpion.30-days became the norm for nomadic people and
Fomalhaut belongs to the Southern Fish, Pisces.expanding Greco-Roman culture into larger geographic
According to Enoch, the four day-stars are isolatedareas. Mesoamerican Calendars are the exception to
and especially “not included in the regularstrict lunar observation. Fixed ceremonial centers
computation of the year.”encourage dividing 360-day-Tun-years into 18 Uinals of
The Antediluvian Calendar is similar to the classical20-days each. The Mayan lunar series or
Mayan Calendar in many respects. Asupplementary series evidences that moon glyphs
360-day-Tun-year consists of 18 Uinal periods oftracked phases and cycles. However, the majority of
20-days each. The 18 Uinal glyph names reflect anlunar scripts are still unknown.
original group of 18 affiliated Mesoamerican tribes.Babylonian worship divided the starry sky into three
Many Old Testament researchers relate the famousdifferent bands around 3,000 B.C.E. The northern band
12 tribes of Israel to 12 astrological signs of the ancientwas the Path of Anu. Winter constellations correspond
Mesopotamian zodiac. We associate zodiac namesprimarily with the Path of Anu. Our latitude limits the
with "zoo," because most constellations aptly namestars we see with respect to the Tropic of Capricorn.
animal gods. Familiar names include Leo the lion, AriesExtending the equator into space creates a
the ram, Scorpio the scorpion, Cancer the crab, Piscesmathematical plane that aligns with the celestial
the fish, Capricorn the goat and Taurus the bull. Godequator. Babylonians replaced the earth-mother
made the heavenly bodies to show us SIGNS thatSumerian “Ki” with “Ea.” From eastern to
serve to mark calendar time. Since ancient days,western horizons, the central Path of Ea identifies our
humanity has encompassed the pseudo-science ofmodern celestial equator. To the south is the Path of
astrology to render interpretations involving motions ofEnlil band. Latitude position again limits the stars seen in
the sun, moon, planets and stars. Our intentions herethe summer sky with respect to the Tropic of Cancer.
posit archaic spiritual preoccupations against theCalendar months reckon 30-days according to the rule
backdrop of emerging calendar science.of “three stars each.” Each Decan star was from
Genesis 1:14-15a different band in the sky. Carved figures often
“And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse ofrepresent sprits for each of the 36 Decan stars. A
the sky to separate the day from the night, and letnew Decan star rose about every 10-days. The
them serve as signs to mark seasons and days andDecans were mighty, great gods. Decan stars were
years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the skycompanions and guides to help the deceased. Some
to give light on the earth. And it was so.”stars bestowed blessings while others were hostile or
Mayan worship spread theadverse.
260-day-Tzolken-sacred-year amongst polytheism.Mesoamerican Calendars distinguish a visible nighttime
Numbered day signs from 1 to 13 associate with animalsky that divides the 260-day-Tzolken-sacred-year
god names in the Maya glyph language. The eclipticzodiac into 13 animal constellations. The ecliptic or
marks the double-headed serpent path of the Mayancelestial equator subsequently determines the Tzolken
zodiac. According to the Paris codex, Mayan godpart of the Mayan Calendar. Babylonian and Egyptian
animals were in position at the time of the vernalzodiacs concentrate upon the entire 36 Decan star
equinox in 3113 B.C.E. or the presumed starting date ofarray during the year with a “three stars each”
the Mayan Calendar. Of course, not all 13 constellationsnotion. Half of 36 Decan stars are the visible 18 Decan
in the zodiac were visible together. Only fourstars during 6-months of either winter or summer. The
constellations were viewable while the other nine wereother 18 Decan stars belong to the opposing 6-months
below the horizon in the nether underworld. Knownand are below the horizon. Again, Sumerians noticed
parts of the zodiac appear in a manner that comparesix 60-degree houses that later evolved into the
with other zodiacs. Scorpio equates with the scorpion.earliest Babylonian 18 astrological signs. By 1,200 B.C.E.,
Gemini appears related to a pig. Mayan turtle starsMesoamerican Olmecs concerned themselves with 13
form sections of the Gemini and Orion constellations.visible astrological signs of a
The ecliptic ends with the rattlesnake tail we call the260-day-Tzolken-sacred-year. The 360-day-Tun-year
Pleiades. The Pleiades rest midway between Ariesand 365-day-Haab-years are later additions to the
and Taurus. Aries is the Jaguar god, Leo is a frog andMesoamerican Calendars. The ecliptic pathway
finally Scorpion. Dual Mayan Calendar years workedeventually replaced the central Path of Ea as
like meshed gears to perform one 52-year Calendarreference to divide the Semitic sky by a factor of
Round that has 18,980-days. Counterpart to thethree. Reducing the Sumerian-Babylonian numbering
360-day-Tun-year was thesystem from sexagesimal (base 60) to the later
260-day-Tzolken-sacred-year. Continuation of religiousMesoamerican vigesimal (base 20), infers that
festivals has preserved beliefs surrounding theMesoamerica 360-day-Tun-years were using
zodiacal Tzolken.20-degree houses for their astrological signs. Each
The ancient Mesoamerican Tzolken zodiac includesastrological Uinal continued to have three Decan stars
the constellation Ophiuchus according to manyin the tribal Tun schema of 18 Uinals. The
archeo-astrologists. Stargazers recognize OphiuchusMesoamerican zodiac supplants the 12-house
as the Serpent Holder 13th sign between Scorpio andSumerian-Babylonian zodiac that had three Decan
Sagittarius. Lunar months favor traditional 12stars each.
astrological sign zodiacs in a 360-day format. TheBabylonian and Egyptian 360-day-calendar-years are
12-month zodiac omits Ophiuchus even though theequal to 36 Decan stars multiplied by 10-days each
ecliptic passes through it. The Serpent Holder was the(Eqn. 1). The 260-day-Tzolken-sacred-year results
mysterious Grecian god healer Aesculapius, who hadfrom 13 Tzolken sacred zodiac signs of 20-days each
the ability to raise the dead and cure the sick. Obscure(Eqn. 2). The Mayan Calendar 360-day-Tun-year
ties with Sumerian or Babylonian zodiacs entwineanswers for 18 Uinals multiplied by 20-days each (Eqn.
Ophiuchus with Creation tales of Tiamut, Enki and3). Compared with Semitic cosmology, the Mayan
Marduk - Jupiter. Ophiuchus is the hidden constellation.moon goddess seems like the Venus Ishtar goddess
Judaic views about monotheism recognize a singleof rebirth and fertility. As the moon goddess moved
omnipotent God without regard to any other form ofthrough 13 sacred signs and 18 star groups coincident
idolatry, man made or celestial. Lunar months havewith 18 tribes, she held the fertility profile of a “Rabbit
always been traditionally important to Jewish Calendarin the Moon.”
reckoning. Whether three 30-day months culminate inMesoamerican cultures may have alternatively
90-day quarters or as part of Metonic 19-year lunaradapted the Babylonian Eighteen Stars Path of the
solar cycles, sighting the new moon crescent was ofMoon to the ecliptic that marks apparent motions of
paramount importance to Jewish Calendar reckoning.the sun and moon. The Greek zodiac 2,000-years ago
Jewish month names show Sumerian-Babylonianborrowed 12 astrological sign names from 12
influence. Sumerian and Babylonian calendars alsoastronomical constellations. Greco-Roman zodiacs
began months according to new moon crescents.consistently lay along the ecliptic. Concordance with
Monotheism replaced polytheism for Jewish peoplethe Egyptian zodiac has shown the ecliptic was a
living in Mesopotamia.focus for astral worship. Today, there are several
Sumerian cosmology is responsible for an early set ofdifferent permutations of the zodiac and personal
core beliefs found in the Holy Bible. Sumerians havehoroscopes are an outgrowth resource once
the distinction of being the earliest inhabitants of thereserved for kings and leaders.
Fertile Crescent region. Beginning 8,000-years B.C.E.,Equations
Sumerian culture realized a priest-astronomer class,Semitic 360-day-calendar-year
improved agrarian techniques and developed the first1. 36 Decan stars x 10-days = 360-day-midpoint length
sexagesimal (base 60) numbering system. Sumerianof year
language bears affinity to vocabulary and similarMayan 260-day-Tzolken-sacred-year, 13 animal gods
concepts found in the ancient tongues of India andrelate with 13 Zodiac Constellations
Africa. They referred to themselves as “Black2. 13-animal gods x 20-days =
Heads.” The name Sudan traces the “Land of the260-day-Tzolken-sacred-year
Blacks.” Biblical references may include the famousMayan 360-day-Tun-year, 18 Uinals relate with Early
Kingdom of Kush from Northern Sudan eastward toBabylonian 18 Zodiac Constellations
the Nile River. One other point is worth mentioning.3. 18 Uinals 20-days = 360-day-Tun-year
Etymology for the name Adam shows derivation fromAre you a pastor, educator or a student of the Holy
the Assyrian Adami or man. Some references alsoBible? seeks anointed people to review and contribute
indicate Adami was particularly the black headed man.to the Ages of Adam ministry. Ancient lunar/solar
In light of the Ethiopic 364-day-calendar-year and fullcalendars like the Jewish and Mayan calendars
knowledge that cultural exchanges took placeprovide the background to understanding early time.
between Northern Africa and Egypt, there isAncient calendars of the Holy Bible use differences
reasonable assurance that Sumerian astrology andbetween the moon and sun, numerical matching and a
astronomy predicates later Babylonian and Egyptian364-day calendar year to describe X-number of days
zodiacs. Astrological signs are the ancientthat match with X-number of years. Ages of Adam is
mathematical interpretations that measure time. Entirea free read at
pictures decorated minds and artwork long ago.Clark Nelson is webmaster for and author of Ages of
Astronomical constellations are the modern approachAdam and sequel, Holy of Holies. Contact for more
that purely references scientific observation. Many starinformation. © Copyright 2006 Clark Nelson and All
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shapes.