Scientists Prepare to Solve Mystery of Sumerian DNA

Bust of Gudea of Lagash, ca. 2120 BCE. Public domain. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Scientists Prepare to Solve Mystery of Sumerian DNA

The ancient Sumerians, builders of the world’s first known civilization, are a mystery to us. Settling in what we would now call southern Iraq from about 5400 BCE on, they produced a written language, a complex system of mythology, impressive architecture, and a lost world that held regional hegemony for thousands of years. We don’t know where their language came from; we don’t even know where their genes came from. We have no idea who their modern descendants would be, and we’ve never been able to test the DNA of Sumerian remains.

Skeleton of a 12-year-old Sumerian boy, from the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. While human skeletal remains are fairly durable compared to the rest of our bodies, they do eventually break down over time. Photo: © 2007 Marcus Cyron. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License.

Well, not until now. A complete skeleton from the Sumerian capital of Ur, dating back to about 4,500 BCE, was recently rediscovered in the Penn Museum—and its intact teeth may include enough soft tissue to allow DNA testing. Nicknamed “Noah,” the skeleton appears to have survived an ancient flood and everything that followed:

[British archaeologist Sir Leonard] Woolley’s team found 48 or more graves in a flood-plain, an area which was once subject to regular flooding. The skeletons there were unusually old, dating to an early era known as the Ubaid period (ca. 6500-3800) but only one was intact and fit to be removed. The skeleton and the dirt surrounding him was excavated and coated in wax and shipped to London first. Upon reaching Philadelphia, however, he was lost to time — only one of a multitude.

Until recently, the primary advocates for testing Sumerian DNA have been followers of Zecharia Sitchin, who hold the unusual belief that the ancient Sumerians socialized with extraterrestrials and may have carried alien genes. But there are plenty of more conventional reasons to study Sumerian DNA: it stands to tell us where the first city-builders came from and who their contemporary descendants are. The migration of the Sumerians is one of the great untold stories of human civilization; if we aim to tell it, DNA is the best tool we have.

TAGS: ancient Mesopotamia, archaeology, DNA, Sumerians

Geraco Urbanowicz

I sometime think humans have traveled from other places. Let’s say Mars. Over a vast period of time remains erode and disappear. The technology reaches a certain point and sustainable resources dwindle. Thus space travel. Most likely a emergency life boat (aka spaceship/transportation). They land on earth and start all over again. generations pass and so do the stories. It’s all about survival and the old world (Mars) holds no value in their thoughts. The younger generations forget. So they wander the Earth. Just trying to survive and thrive once again. Forced simplicity in a way. Fast forward to present day and here we are trying to come up with a plan to jump ship again. Trying to find a new home because another sustainable world is crumbling.
Paolo

I thought archaeologists knew where the Sumerians came from.
Didn’t they tell us they came from the Karakoram mountain range?
Addison

That Gilgamesh epic is pretty weird. All that talk of the Gods fashioning a man from the animals. Like “weird science.” You watch – that DNA is going to be soooooo weird the scientists will be afraid to share the results with the public.
TimMullins

We know who at least one group of Sumerian descendants were. The Hebrews. But how cuneiform writing turned up in Peru, mystifies everybody
Geoclac

One hopes that there is enough genetic material left to put an end to the silly speculation.
Of course the more far gone among them will refuse to accept the evidence, but we can ignore them.
Julie Sunflower

Sumerians I think were associated with the giants and 6 toes and fingers which I heard the giants had I think not sure…
robert110369

reaLLY? wow, thats an eye opener
garyamusic .

Ah yes…………….the never ending quest to “prove” we were once a single celled organism……….
Karl

Perhaps I could posit some answers to your wonderings:

1. You base your position that species cannot become intermingled on the currently accepted (or publicly revealed) science that states these things are not possible.

2. A higher knowledge of the workings of DNA might make these things possible.

3. “Aliens” in the ancient sense were fallen angels who, of divine origin, posses such higher creative knowledge (see Genesis 6).

4. The “aliens” we hear of today are from that ancient origin in some cases, but some are the result of genetic manipulation of earthly species, perhaps even bovine. Biological “robots” if you will.

Just some thoughts to ponder…
J A

Yes, you are great at ignoring reality, in fact, most of you have been brainwashed from the moment you were born, so no big surprise there.
J A

Yes the alien story is ridiculous, as is evolution. God is the sole creator. If you can’d understand that (or refuse to), you truly are lost.
TheJokool .

Z Sitchin was a shape shifter…Don’t believe me then watch his films…You can see his tongue flicking in and out and the smirk y little smile he wears all the time..He is mocking us for being sleeping fools.
MrE.

Have you seen Ahkenatens mummy.I have ,and he sure doesn’t look like a typical human.Alien theory doesn’t sound too far fetched too me.It is also mentioned in the Bible as well.
Chad Anderson

The alien theory makes sense if you know the story about Nibiru and why ‘they’ the ‘Gods’ were sent to Earth. They were sent to Iraq to mine for gold. The story continues from there. I recommend a book by Gerald Clark called ‘The Anunnaki of Nibiru Mankinds Forgotten Creators. It’s fascinating.
Ravindran Govindaraju

But those theory propounded by Dan Vanikens does carry some fodder to contemplate
carlseb

Don’t be foolish. Have you never heard of mixing the DNA of one organism with another in test tubes for pete’s sake. This is how the fallen angels corrupted the once pure seed of God who was the original Adam and where we all get sin from.
Elizabeth Miller

New theory about Atlantis & the origins of our civilization | Pledge campaign on kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/atlantis/atlantis-unified-theory-of-civilization
J A

open you eyes. hogwarts may not be real, but demons are. you are blinded by what they have taught you. they have done a good job.
Geoclac

Tell me, JA, were you born stupid, or did you have to take classes?
Craig Bonnett

All of you are just plain scared that yo daddy was African or Arab. Your racist views can’t stand the fact that you where nothing and no one until the gun. Then you stole all you have. Reality !!!
Craig Bonnett

The ignorance of Europeans is astounding. The fuel of hatred beggets incompetence of the Hightest magnitude. So afraid they may be linked to others because their DNA is the weakest of mankind. Those that have lifted themselves up are beneath all. You down others yet you hide all manner of disease birth defects and just wired afflictions that no other race of people get. And these are your healthy offspring. Unlike those you purposely bring affliction on. You hate people of color yet your in the sun every chance you get trying to get get as much color as you can. Hyporcrites. You came from others no one came from you. Your genes are to weak.
Jennifer

I wouldn’t care if my “daddy was African or Arab”.
J A

Apparently I am speaking to an immature and ignorant teen, based on your comments. You know nothing about the world, yet spew idiotic comments left and right while with insults and sarcasm. I mean, you must be 15, talking about Narnia and hogwarts.
Rogue Dingo

No they didn’t, they came from ‘Sumer’. There is no such place as ‘Sumeria’.
Rogue Dingo

It is only a mystery if one conforms to the academic notion that none of these civilizations knew of the other’s existence.
Hans K Hildebrand

Sir, with all due disrespect, you are a world class idiot. Your mindset is the same as that of all racists, religious bigots, and other two legged vermin. If you are correct than explain some things for me. Ask yourself about the individuals who invented the gasoline engine, the diesel engine, the jet engine, radio, television, computer chips, transistors, vacuum tubes, diodes, cameras, railroads and their associated hardware etc.! I am a direct descendant of Otto and Siegfried Hildebrand who built the first production motorcycle factory in the world and then they later progressed to automobile and aircraft engines. If this is the result of the weakest genetics then please enlighten me as to how this could have happened. I await your considered response but please, learn to spell correctly and stop being so afraid of us. Our bark is worse than our bite!
Chris Golding

In response to Craig Bonnett
Europeans have accepted all races into their society. If it was not for Europeans taking African slaves and colonising African lands the African people would still be using spears and stone tools to hunt. Egypt was built by the people of the fertile crescent and not by Africans alone. Compare that to Stone henge, a remarkable feat of engineering and mathematical knowledge, the roman empire built many great structures all across Europe. Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the great Hindu temples in India. South America has many great civilisations that built great structures. All of these structures took a great deal of planning and intelligence. In comparison to the rest of the world Africa is lacking. Sickle cell is an affliction that affects people from African descent all over the world. Africans are not immune to genetic disorders and it very offensive and racist to talk about Europeans in the way you do. It is Europeans that are going to Africa to help with African diseases such as Aids and Ebola. Doctors without borders help people all over the world. If our genes are so weak then why did most of the empires in history originate in Europe? It is our DNA that allowed us to do so. I grew up around many different races and have respect for all unlike you who seems to have a hatred for Europeans because they want to get a tan.
Kurti

Calm your titties, Sumerians were neither African nor Arabian. Ignorance on it’s finest. They were an ancient people of Western Asia before anything called Arab flourished.
Vasili

The oldest known civilizations (communities using tools) are now in central and south eastern Africa. All men regardless of ‘color’ have common DNA and ancestry (afro-Asian). Which explains why sickle cell anemia is as common in the Mediterranean countries as it is in ‘parts’ of Africa (it is unknown in others parts). Intelligence is common to all mankind, and similar lifestyles is not. So kiss your cousins and make up…
Duncan Fell

Yes sir, the hightest incompetence. Don’t they know it is spelt hightest. For you see, we must produce the hightest. Those fools.
Duncan Fell

Incorrect. Iskender conquered most of Asia and North Africa in the bronze age. He was a Greek. Also known as Alexander. Rome also had a large empire. There was a period around 1000AD when the Mongols and the Arabs threatened western civilization, but they are not a problem anymore. I appreciate you are angry, but that anger is more about your own ability in this world rather than white people.
Kurti

Tamil is a language belonging to Dravidian family. Be sure the Sumerian language was already compared to Tamil. And it is not descend of it contrary. The Dravidian language family was most likely more widespred in India before the Indo_Aryans repressed it towards South. The Proto_Dravidians most likely originated in ancient Near East and from there it moved with farming community into Southern Asua. It is probably related to ancient Elamite, possibility of ancient relation to Sumerian does exist but than not Sumerians spoke “Old Tamil” (Back than Tamil didn’t exist) the Dravidians spoke a language maybe related to Sumerian. Possibility of Indo European origin of Sumerians does exist too.
zawadi

ok as a black person I will agree.
jezeuskrishna

https://www.familytreedna.com/public/r1a/ tell me gain how the aryan invasion never happened. Sorry about your dravdian ego. (ps you are european) haplogroup R evolved in europe(europe eastern boundary is the urals, southern is the caucus) R1 evolved in europe, R2(dravidian) evolved in europe, r1a(proto aryan)evolved in europe, r1a1 evolved in europe, r1b evolved in europe, r1a1a evolved in europe r1a1b evolved in europe r1a1a1(aryan post-expansion) evolved in europe, R1a1a1a(aryan post expansion west group) evolved in europe, r1a1a1b(aryan post-expansion east group) evolved in europe.litterally every single branch evolved in europe, and they were white people with light features, get over yourself dravidian, it’s skin tone. YOU also came from europe, just a lot longer before the aryans came and your skin/hair/eye colour was different and the other group was taller and more intelligent with better technology(chariots, city planning etc), you are the same race, R1 and R2 split 35,000 years ago, in europe, not the caucus/middle east/south west asia.
jezeuskrishna

in october 2013 scientists found 1.8 million year old homo erectus skull in Georgia(the country in europe, not the state in america), this specimen has turned out to be the ancestor of all living humans today. in May 2012 russian geneticists discovered that many european indivduals don’t carry ANY of the markers from the out of africa migration completely destroying the long standing hypothesis put forward by Darwin 200 years ago. Darwin thought africa was the place of origin of primates and therefore humans because that is where the highest primate diversity was found, little did Darwin know, indonesia has far more primate diversity than africa or south america. http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?paperID=19566#.VM4JKtzs06I
ISOR

Face it! They were melaninated beings!!…no matter what
labels/man-made titles one may want to use.. When was sun-screen
invented for those that do not make it naturally?… What natural
substance may have been used during the time period in question?.. What
kind of a creator would place an indigenous people in an environment
that violently attacks them?… If a people CAN NOT live between the
earth and the sun NATURALLY, then that place IS NOT their place of
origin.

Mysterious Universe