6B. UBAID CULTURE ORIGINS: its possible Sahel-Dead Sea connections. [Here is postulated that Ubaidian culture was formed from interaction between Sahel and Dead Sea cultures. i.e. The origins of Ubaid Culture might be from the African Sahel(Cushite) and Dead Sea techno-complex(proto-Canaanites).] ----------- [Ubaidian serpent gods are similar to the angels of the bible.] The Ubaid culture is associated with Serpentine figurines (the archaeological terminology is "Ophidian figurines".). Ubaidian figurines are anthropomorphic snakes: creatures having snake heads and human bodies. They were probably snakes that could talk,snakes that could walk, snakes that could fly. These Ubaidian serpent gods are possibly "shining ones" , similar to the angelic cherubim of the bible. i.e. The serpent who spoke to Eve in the garden of Eden was an anthropomorphic snake similar to the Ubaidian gods. The hebrew word for serpent is "Nachash" or "shining one". He is first introduced as a Serpent in Genesis 3:1, but later he is revealed as the angel/cherub lucifer (Genesis 3:24,Ezekiel 28:14-15,Isaiah 14:12-14) To visualize the serpent of Eden as a snake with human legs might explain how in Genesis 3:14 the biblical God punishes the Edenic serpent by forcing him to crawl along the ground and swallow the dust.Perhaps before the curse, the serpent would walk on legs like the Ubaid figurines. These rebellious serpentine angels were probably associated with the "Dead Sea techno-complex" and also the "Persian Gulf techno-complex". [techno complex = ancient trade centre/technology centre.] The serpent gods were the guardians of ancient wisdom (tree of life,tree of knowledge,etc) so legends portrayed that they were located in ancient centres of wisdom such as the Persian Gulf basin(Eden/Dilmun) and also the Dead Sea region (Vale of Siddim). Serpent gods were guardians of the secrets of immortality and/or prevented humans from having immortality. This belief was possibly based on the stone age religion of the great hunter Orion who is struck down by the snake but is destined to be resurrected.(Genesis 3:15) [later cultures corrupted this story so that Orion is struck down by a scorpion.] --------------------- The African Sahel culture of Havilah probably gained control of the Persian Gulf trade centre in ancient times before the flood. And this was close to the Ubaid region. So Havilah Africans possibly gave rise to Ubaid culture (in part). --------------------- The cities in the Dead Sea region were possibly keepers of ancient wisdom from Natufian times. The Natufians were hunter-gatherers who probably founded Jericho and similar settlements in the Levant. Natufian culture disappeared, but perhaps Natufian wisdom was preserved in the ancient trade centre of the Dead Sea. The Dea Sea culture could be called "Proto-Canaanites" because they eventually gave rise to the Canaanite nations. Genesis 14:1-2 gives hints that the Dead Sea was in close association of Mesopotamia in the most ancient of times. The Elamites mysteriously warred with the Dead Sea cultures. This might be an ancient memory of time when the Syro-Arabian desert was wetter and contained rivers. So that Proto-canaanites from the Dead Sea region could easily cross it and make war with Elam, and vice versa. The Sumerians called the Syro-Arabian region the KUR MARTU or "land of the Amorites". Even in the times of the Sumerians the Canaanite Amorites could cross the Syro-Arabian desert to invade Sumer, so perhaps the Syro-Arabian region was wetter during the Ubaid era (and the Sumerian era).] So the Dead Sea could have easily been in contact with the Ubaid region, to eventualy form Ubaidian culture. [Thus Ubaid culture was formed from both Sahel and Dead Sea cultures.] --------------------- In later Sumerian religion, Enki and his son Ningizzida are sometimes portrayed as serpent gods. ---------------------- Where does the biblical imagery of Jehovah and his angels originally come from? Jehovah and his angels is based on the earlier Canaanite god El together with his sons. El was a Canaanite god, and the sons of El were also Canaanite Gods. The sons of El had names such as Hadad,Yam,Mot. El together with his sons formed the "Council of the Elohim" of Canaanite religion. Thus the angelic "shining ones" of the bible are connected to the religion of the Dead Sea/Canaan. So it is possible that the serpent figurines of Ubaid culture had their origin in the ancient Dead Sea culture/proto-canaanites. --------------------- Asherah was a Canaanite goddess.She was the wife of El. Asherah was known also as "Elat" the wife of El. Asherah was probably a snake goddess. When Asherah bore children to El, her children could have been considered as snake-like beings. So the sons of El were possibly considered serpent gods similar to the Ubaidian figurines. According to the New World Encyclopaedia: She[Asherah] is pictured standing on a lion and holding two serpents, and one of her names gives her a special quality of mercy. An additional epitaph calls her "The Compassionate One". Other biblical references to "Asherah" refer to a type of sacred pillar or tree... <----- Asherah is possibly connected to "tree of life" imagery. And a serpent guards the tree of life. =============================================================== When bible says Nimrod established Babylon, this might be coded language. (Genesis 10:10) If the Nimrod Kingdom and Ubaidian culture are the same, this might imply: Ubaid culture was like an ancient Kish and Babylon alliance. i.e. Ubaid culture was an ancient Amorite and Cushite alliance. i.e. Ubaid culture was a Proto-Canaanite and Cushite alliance. How is it so? Archaeology says that Babylon was established by Amorites(Canaanites) a long time after Kish existed. So it was really Kish that was founded by the Nimrod (rather than Babylon). Kish and Babylon were geographically close but separated by large periods of time.The mention of Babylon is an anachronism. However, thousands of years before Babylon was established, proto-Amorites(proto-canaanites)existed in the region around Kish. Proto-Canaanites were crossing the Syro-Arabian desert and establishing populations in Mesopotamia. So the proto-canaanites and Cushites probably united to form Ubaidian culture (Nimrod culture.) So Ubaid culture could be thought of as Amorite ancestors(proto-Canaanites) unifying with Cushites to produce a new culture. =============================================================== Archaeological Evidence: Tell Tsaf in the Levant(Israel/Ancient Canaan) and its connection to Ubaid Culture. Several shards of Ubaid pottery have been found at tell Tsaf in Israel/ancient Canaan. Tell Tsaf is 7000 years old. "Tel Tsaf is a rare example of a little researched connection between the Ubaid culture and the Middle Chalcolithic of the southern Levant. The findings of Tel Tsaf expand the southwestern border of the Ubaid sphere of influence and shed new light on long-distance interaction in protohistory." - source: Streit & Garfinkel(2015) =============================================================== Sources: 1. "Exploring the Roots of Mesopotamian Civilization: Excavations at Tell Zeidan,Syria",lecture by Dr Gil J. Stein at The Oriental Institute https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QHDPGUuAjIo 2. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Asherah 3. Streit & Garfinkel(2015),"Tel Tsaf and the Impact of the Ubaid Culture on the Southern Levant: Interpreting the Radiocarbon Evidence",Radiocarbon(Journal), Vol57,No5. ============================================== return to main page: http://sumerdecoded.com/index_.htm