the Sunerian star map

Metawh1

5 Jul, 2025

introduction

The Sumerian civilization is considered one of the oldest civilizations in human history, and it contributed significantly to the development of science and the arts. Among its most notable contributions is the star map, which demonstrates their understanding of the sky and celestial bodies.

Historical background

The Sumerian civilization emerged in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) around 3500 BC. The Sumerians were among the first peoples to record their information, including astronomical observations, which they excelled at and interpreted according to their gods. The Sumerians preserved their astronomical heritage through writing, using cuneiform to document these observations.

Ancient cultures used astronomy for a variety of purposes, including determine the time, navigation, spiritual and religious practices, and agricultural planning. Ancient astronomers used their observations to map the heavens in an effort to learn more about the workings of the universe.

Amazing Sumerian Archaeological Discovery

An ancient clay tablet, now housed in the British Museum, has puzzled experts for more than 150 years. The tablet, known as a Cuneiform, is part of the British Museum's collection, No. K8538, also known as the "Globe" collection, according to Curiosmos, a website dedicated to interesting historical and scientific topics.

The inscriptions on the disc were only translated about 10 years ago, and it was revealed that the clay disc was an actual ancient Sumerian star map.

The final translations and analyses revealed astonishing details about the clay tablet, which was extracted in the 19th century from a secret library belonging to King Ashurbanipal, known as the "King of the World," in Nineveh, Iraq, by the late British archaeologist Sir Henry Layard.

It turns out that the ancient Sumerians engraved the surface of the disc to recount the details of a massive visible object they saw in space as it penetrated Earth's atmosphere and fell to Earth's surface.

Experts discovered that the tablet is a copy of a set of notes recorded by an ancient Sumerian astronomer who observed space and the sky. The Sumerian scientist described the object coming from the sky as looking like "a white stone bowl approaching..." The clay tablet also serves as an astronomical map, as it contains a set of intricate drawings of the constellations and their names.

star map

the Sumerian star map

The Sumerian star map is considered one of the earliest attempts to map the sky. This map includes a classification of stars and planets, and their locations. The Sumerians believed that the stars controlled human destiny, so studying them was of great importance in their daily lives.

A 5,500-year-old Sumerian star map has puzzled scholars for more than 150 years. This controversial cuneiform clay tablet is believed to record the ancient observation of the Covl impact event. Discovered in the late 19th century in King Ashurbanipal's underground library at Nineveh, Iraq, the tablet dates back to 650 BC and was initially thought to be Assyrian. However, computer analysis revealed that it corresponds to the skies above Mesopotamia in 3300 BC, proving its Sumerian origin.

The description of star map

is an actual Neo Assyrian tablet made Planisphere K.8538Fragment of a circular clay tablet with depictions of constellations (planisphere). Neo-Assyrian. The reverse is uninscribed. Section of a sphere or instrument for astrological calculations. The flat side is described with mathematical figures and description.

Celestial planisphere; in this stylised map the sky has been divided into eight sections. It represents the night sky of 3-4 January 650 BC over Nineveh. Its been taken and repurposed to support a fringe idea that people saw the Kufel asteroid hit Austria at that time frame - it didn’t. tablet | British Museum

Astronomical systems

The Sumerians developed an astronomical system based on dividing the sky into 12 major constellations, some of which are still recognized today, such as Taurus and Capricorn. They monitored the movements of the planets and stars to determine agricultural seasons and guide economic activities.

coclusion

The Sumerian star map demonstrates the advanced astronomical understanding of the Sumerians and their profound influence on science. Studying this map reflects their passion for knowledge and desire to understand the universe around them, which made them pioneers in astronomy.

The Sumerian star map is the same as the Sumerian astrolabe that I discussed in a previous topic.

The spread of Sumerian astronomical knowledge resulted to neighboring civilizations, such as Akkadian and Babylonian, influenced the development of astronomy in later cultures. This knowledge provided the basis for understanding astronomy in the classical and medieval periods.