When Time Began (Earth Chronicles, #5) by Zecharia Sitchin

When Time Began (Earth Chronicles, #5) Reviews

• 
  Matt

  The mysteries surrounding Stonehenge have filled countless books, but what if there were other ancient megaliths just like it around the world? When Time Began is the fifth book by Zecharia Sitchin’s of his The Earth Chronicles examining the correlations between the calendars from cultures around the world and how they all appear to be related to beginning around the same time period, culminating in Mankind entering its first “New Age”.
  
  Sitchin began with a recounting of “the beginning of time” according to his research when Nibiru entered the solar system then later when the Anunnaki arrived on Earth and finally after the Deluge. Then focused turned to Stonehenge, its construction and astronomical alignments along with when they occurred. He then transitioned to showing other circular astronomical designs from around the world, beginning in Sumer but also in the Americas before turning his attention to their significance to the politics of the Anunnaki especially concerning the numerous separate exiles of Thoth and his brother Marduk/Ra. Building off the his work in The Wars of Gods and Men and The Lost Realms, Sitchin explains that the events leading up to the end of the Sumerians were caused not only by the politics but astronomy and religion which were one and the same. And the aftermath was not only the end of the Sumerians, but also that of a “unified” religion and the birth of national deities.
  
  Unlike the previous books, Sitchin mixed his usual academic approach at the beginning of his books with his own theories and explanations creating a different feel this book compared to his others. Another aspect is that this book felt more of a “continuation” of the two previous mentioned books as Sitchin adds more evidence for this theory on the colonization of the Americas as well as give more details leading to and the aftermath of fall of Sumer. Yet this last aspect is where the flaws of the book are the most pronounced as, even without an added quarter-century of archaeological discoveries the errors are hard not to miss take notice of with or without an open mind.
  
  The information and theories proposed in When Time Began have stuck with me since I first read it and caused me to misremember things in other books. Zecharia Sitchin continued to build his theory on the foundations of his previous books, but unlike them the errors were a little harder to ignore in this particular installment. If you have read his previous volumes by all means read this one as well, however be warned that some conjectures and theories are simply incorrect unlike others that can be reasonably debated.
• 
  Emerald

  Very interesting theories on the pre antediluvian and post antediluvian eras. Many of the cuneiform tablets of the Sumerians/Mesopotamia survived the great flood. This book continues on the path and descriptions of a pre existing race before humans called the Annunnaki who were on this planet which people came to worship as gods - according to Sitchin. In the first book the Annunnaki are the ones who created mankind according to these ancient cuneiform tablets. According to many ancient cuneiform tablets - which were finally translated with the help of the Rosetta stone and other remnants of ancient languages and texts of all types from around the world we get the story of these ancient beings. Sitchin and I differ on who the Annunnaki really were; but, which he included and mentioned are actually the fallen angels (which is my personal belief). Their story can be found in the Book of Enoch which was removed out of the bible and was once a part of the bible in the apocrypha. This book was never removed from the ancient Christian text in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian people revere it to this day. The bible also references this text/book/codex in two verses.
  
  This book, in this series focuses on time itself. How time began and came into being. How the Annunnaki/Fallen Angels taught man: the use of time, the purpose of time and how it relates to the creation of the cosmos. In association with: mathematics, building megalithic structures, and other forms of creating or having knowledge in the fields of astrology and astronomy, biology, etc. How time relates and is a fundamental part of religious and ancient practices which mankind still follows to this day from all religions and cultures from around the world. Sitchin researched and included summaries of ancient texts from other cuneiform writings and ancient texts/stories/religious stories of all types from numerous cultures from around the world of antiquity such as: Mesopotamia, Sumerian, Ethiopia, the ancient Phoenician, Israel, Egypt, Africa, Far Eastern cultures, Aztecs and Mayan cultures. All of them offer up the same story over and over again on these beings and how time is related to God, and to these beings and how the cosmos actually works and is relative to everything we do or will do. How time is measured, how other cultures measure time for their own purposes past and present which can differ with each other and their calendars. How the Annunnaki used time themselves in their travels of the cosmos. I got the impression they used it as a tool in ways we have no understanding of today from reading this book.
  
  Be aware that this series of books is very similar to what reading a college text book and study
  of ancient cosmology might be like within a college setting. Various types of scientists can't fully agree if this is pseudo science or the real thing. One thing for sure if you have an interest in this subject matter as I do then you might enjoy Sitchin's theories regarding who/whom actually started the human race. Totally different than what we're taught in school or our religious institutions. Fair to say a totally different take yet also lines up with the bible and other ancient writings. I personally find this series thought provoking reading, filed under the heading of maybe/what if. Very interesting what the ancients actually wrote and thought, what they knew and their possible technology.
• 
  Omid Mankoo

  Zachariah Sitchins books are detailed with actual translations of Ancient Cuniform (clay tablet) writings. He is an Archeologist, and ancient scirpt translator. He delves into ancient texts, and clay tablet writtings, religious scriptures, artifacts, and drawings & visits museums, and sights of actual historical significance mentioned in various world scriptures, to get an up-close, hands on grasp of what happened. His books are filled with historical facts, with awesome translations, actual pictures of the cuniforms themselves, many of which are pictorial in nature (they appear in his books). Each of the books is a veritable treasure-house of knowledge, of scientific breakthroughs into understanding what has happened in ancient civilizations, regarding gods (alien races), and their meaning present in our scriptures today.
• 
  Socrate

  Din cele mai vechi timpuri, pământenii şi-au înălţat privirile către cer. Cuprinşi de veneraţie şi fascinaţie, au luat cunoştinţă de fenomenele cereşti: poziţia stelelor, ciclurile Lunii şi Soarelui, mişcarea de rotaţie a unui Pământ înclinat. Însă cum a început totul, cum se va termina şi ce se va petrece în tot acest răstimp?
  Cerul şi Pământul se întâlnesc la linia orizontului. De mii de ani, oamenii au văzut cum, la linia de întâlnire, stelele nopţii cedează locul lor razelor Soarelui şi au ales ca punct de referinţă momentul în care ziua şi noaptea sunt egale, anume echinocţiul. Ajutat de calendar, omul a calculat Timpul Terestru pornind de la acel moment.
  Pentru ca cerurile înstelate să poată fi identificate, bolta cerească a fost divizată în douăsprezece părţi, cele douăsprezece case ale zodiacului. Dar pe măsură ce alte mii de ani s-au scurs, „stelele fixe" s-au dovedit a nu fi deloc fixe, iar ziua echinocţiului, ziua Anului Nou părea să se schimbe de la o casă zodiacală la alta. La Timpul Terestru a mai fost adăugat Timpul Astronomic, fapt care a corespuns cu începutul unei noi epoci, unei Noi Ere.
  Pentru că ne aflăm în pragul unei Noi Ere, când răsăritul din ziua echinocţiului de primăvară va avea loc în casa Vărsătorului, spre deosebire de acum 2000 de ani, când s-a întâmplat să fie în casa Peştilor, mulţi se întreabă ce ar putea aduce cu sine această schimbare: ceva benefic ori malefic, un nou început sau un sfârşit, sau lucrurile vor rămâne neschimbate?
  Pentru a cunoaşte viitorul, trebuie să cercetăm trecutul, pentru că, de când a început să măsoare Timpul Terestru, omenirea a înţeles deja ce ar putea să determine Timpul Astronomic-venirea unor Noi Ere. Ceea ce a precedat şi a urmat după o asemenea Nouă Eră reprezintă o lecţie esenţială cu privire la rolul pe care-l avem noi înşine în curgerea Timpului.
• 
  JJ

  Sitchin’s When Time Began, the fifth book in the Revolutionary Earth Chronicle series is another amazing read from the seven book series. Sitchin relies mainly on Sumerian and Egyptian writings, sacred artifacts, and ancient architecture to provide amazing insights on the origins of the calendar, astronomy, and astrology. In addition, Sitchin reveals the chaotic times for both gods and men with the arrival of a New Age. Leaving behind the Age of Taurus, Sitchin takes his readers on the climax circa 2100 B.C. when Marduk, the Babylonian national god, acquired supremacy and declared the New Age of Aries. The aftermath of these events demonstrates that society, religion, science, and the status of women were never the same. I gave this book a 3 due to a few slow chapters, not as intense as book I & III but I still thoroughly enjoyed the insights, evidence, and book overall.
  
  I recommend reading this book with an open-mind and let go of any tendencies to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs or hypotheses –confirmation bias.
  
• 
  Kakha

  Zecharia Sitchin – the writer, the person who wrote many very interesting books, was not an academic scientist but I'm sure he strongly believed in what he was looking for, what researched and thought about and wrote in his excellent books. I like his books. So far, I've only read three of them. This is one of them and it is good, fascinating. Of course, one should not immediately believe in everything that is said there, because the author himself did not strongly assert anything. He was simply trying to show the facts, to show them the way he himself saw them. An interesting person, he left a noticeable mark in the theories about paleo contacts and the alien origin of man.
• 
  Jenalee Paige

  I read this book in order of the Earth Chronicles. Before reading it I thought this topic was covered already in the series, however, there was so much new and interesting information to be uncovered. I especially appreciate how this book focuses on Thoth. There’s so much about his relationship with his brother Ra/Marduk, his influence with Stonehenge, and in the Americas. It’s really fascinating; I recommend reading it if you’re interested in the beginning of the concept of Time such as the various calendars, as well as their influence on mankind.
• 
  Terence

  Unfortunately, the first half of the book is a boring and barely coherent (all right, let's be honest - utterly incoherent) theory about the "beginning of Time." If you can endure that, however, Sitchin gets back on track with his sci-fi fantasy of the Annunaki in the second half.
  
  [Does anyone else find it odd that the Annunaki drop out of recorded history about the time when that history can no longer support the delusion?]
• 
  Bea Batres

  Book no. 5 of The Earth Cronicles, it is a study of when and why humans started measuring time. The hypothesis is that the calendar is a religious device that originated with the Annunaki and was reapplied in their multiple centers across the globe. Not my preferred book of the series, I find a bit of repetition in content and found the structure rather difficult jumping back and forth.
• 
  Tom Hughes

  Explains Why We Measure Time
  
  Very interesting study of the beginning of time and measuring of time. It causes you to think about it in a new way.
• 
  Keith

  Fascinating theories about our history here on Earth, and extremely well-researched.
• 
  Roberto Cofresí

  This series is an amazing fantasy/reality series. Its presented as true, and he claimed it was, but so did Castaneda.
• 
  Ross Kearney

  Excellent theories and support for how humanity recorded time.
• 
  Turgut

  By far the most illuminating book of the Chronicles.
• 
  Alan Kraskow

  I'm big fan of Sitchin. I love his works, but I look at them more, as an inspiration for my own fantasy/sci-fi novels, so not taking it too serious.
• 
  Project Cognition

  This book goes into great detail on the astronomical and calendrical functions of Stonehenge and other ancient artifacts.
• 
  Mark Austin

  ★ - Most books with this rating I never finish and so don't make this list. This one I probably started speed-reading to get it over with.
  ★★ - Average. Wasn't terrible, but not a lot to recommend it. Probably skimmed parts of it.
  ★★★ - Decent. A few good ideas, well-written passages, interesting characters, or the like.
  ★★★★ - Good. This one had parts that inspired me, impressed me, made me laugh out loud, made me think - it got positive reactions and most of the rest of it was pretty decent too.
  ★★★★★ - Amazing. This is the best I've read of its genre, the ones I hold on to so I can re-read them and/or loan them out to people looking for a great book. The best of these change the way I look at the world and operate within it.
• 
  Conor Lade

  Sitchin's material is cutting edge, although it can be somewhat dense and academic. Ancient aliens directing the course of the earth is the theme of most of his writing. His research is so thorough and his theories so logical that I suspect he will one day be seen as a visionary who "figured it out" long before conventional science.
• 
  John

  When the Greeks adopted Thoth, the god of the Game of 52, as their god Hermes, they bestowed on him the title Hermes Trismegistos, "Hermes the thrice greatest." Perhaps they recognized that he had thrice guided Mankind in the observation of the beginning of a New Age-the changeover to Taurus, to Aries, to Pisces.
  For that was, for those generations of Mankind, when Time began.
• 
  Inara

  Title in German:
  Das erste Zeitalter
• 
  Andrea

  rereading for self-forced study reasons
• 
  Tucker Johnson

  Syrius information!!
• 
  Jorey

  When---and where---it all started!
• 
  Adam Madvibe

  book 5....
• 
  Dean

  Really interesting information, a bit wordy and technical at times.
• 
  Felicia

  Informative & thought provoking. Another great novel, already started the 6th book in The Earth Chronicles.
• 
  Jason Mahoney

  The evidence is definitely compelling...are our origins more than we thought?