You’re still standing in the dimly lit ancient civilizations exhibit, the faint glow of the Atlantis hologram casting shifting patterns across the room. The air hums with the quiet energy of discovery, and Robert Sepehr, anthropologist and provocateur, stands before you, his books tucked under his arm. His earlier comments on the Out of Africa theory and Zecharia Sitchin’s translations have piqued your curiosity, and you press him further, asking specifically about the key evidence Sitchin used to support his claims about the Sumerian tablets.
Sepehr nods, his eyes narrowing slightly as he gathers his thoughts. “Sitchin’s evidence,” he begins, his voice low but clear, “centers on his interpretations of Sumerian cuneiform texts, which he argued describe a hidden history of extraterrestrial intervention. Let’s break it down.”
He steps closer to a nearby display case, where a clay tablet etched with wedge-shaped marks sits under soft lighting, as if to ground his explanation in the tangible. “First, Sitchin focused on texts like the Enuma Elish, the Babylonian creation epic, and the Atra-Hasis, which details a great flood. He claimed these aren’t just myths but historical accounts. In his view, the ‘gods’ mentioned—particularly the Anunnaki, meaning ‘those who from heaven to earth came’—were a race of beings from a planet called Nibiru, orbiting our sun on a 3,600-year cycle. He pointed to specific terms, like ‘Anunnaki’ and ‘Nephilim,’ which he translated as extraterrestrials, not deities or metaphors as mainstream scholars argue.”