Sacred code
Telegraph
Archaeologists have decoded a Sumerian “sacred code” found in a 4,000-year-old statue of a leader named Gudea. This code includes architectural instructions believed to be inspired by divine sources, similar to those mentioned in the Bible.
Puzzling experts
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The measurements on the statue, previously puzzling experts, have now been understood after the discovery of a lost temple in Iraq. This temple, located in the ancient city of Girsu, aligns perfectly with the measurements outlined in Gudea’s plan, confirming it as the holy site designated by divine guidance.
Precise measurement
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Dr Sebastien Rey, director of the British Museum’s project in Iraq, said: “It is like the precise measurement we see in the Bible in a much later period, those of the Arc, or the Temple of Solomon.”
140 years
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He continued, “This has taken 140 years to crack, it is a very important moment. Mathematics would have seemed divine to the Sumerians. This was a sacred mathematics on architectural plan, a sacred code.”
Sumerians
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“This shows that Gudea did indeed build a temple after being told to do so in a dream, and reveals that Sumerians were capable of scaling models up and down. The plan matches the temple site perfectly.”
Ruined palace
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Recently, a team discovered a tablet fragment in a ruined palace complex that displays similar measurement markings, hinting at another ancient architectural plan.
Blueprints
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This finding suggests the widespread use of these ancient “blueprints.” The Sumerian civilization, known for its early advancements in writing, numerical systems, and governance, featured a prominent figure named Gudea, a cultured ensi (priest-ruler) who governed the city of Girsu in southern Iraq.
Gudea’s statues
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Gudea’s statues, unearthed by French archaeologists in the 19th century, depicted him with an architectural plan, accompanied by a unique “ruler” with markings that puzzled experts for years.
Excavated
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Scholars theorized that the Sumerian measurement system operated cyclically, akin to a clock, with fractions of distance repeating. In 2022, the British Museum excavated a temple complex in Girsu, believed to be dedicated to the city’s deity, Ningirsu.
Gudea’s statue
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The site’s layout aligned closely with the architectural sketch on Gudea’s statue, confirming the accuracy of the fractional measuring system proposed by researchers.
Terminology
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This system divided the site into units labeled “one to six” in the Sumerian terminology, each unit equivalent to approximately eight modern meters.
Temple walls
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The temple walls, measuring four meters in thickness, align perfectly with half a Sumerian unit.
Adaptable
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Dr. Rey suggested that the Sumerian measurement system was adaptable, allowing for the inclusion of various measurements that could be adjusted within the unit system.
Precise
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The modeling process demonstrated that the Sumerians followed precise plans, such as those depicted on the Gudea statue, which they could scale up to construct large temple structures.
Civilization
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Exploring the origins of civilization: In the predawn hours, the call to prayer echoes through the air, met by the sound of shovels digging in the darkness.
Remote village
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In the remote village of Nasr in Iraq, a British Museum team collaborates with local villagers to excavate the ancient city of Girsu, a site that unveiled the existence of the Sumerians to the world.
Ancient society
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This ancient society pioneered the development of cities, writing, governance, and the narrative of a catastrophic global flood, mirrored in biblical accounts.
Water
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“Everything starts with water, and it ends with water,” said Dr Sebastian Rey, archaeologist and director of the Girsu Project which is excavating.
Devastation
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“Water brings life to the flat floodplain of Iraq, but it can also bring devastation, and this since time immemorial,” said Dr Rey. “It is no coincidence that the Flood story originates in Sumer.”
