ORIGIN OF SUMER

Hamlet Martirosyan

Center for the Research of Ancient Civilizations

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 In the Origin of Sumer work, it is established via comparative analysis of the archeological
material of Armenian Highland and Lower Mesopotamia (upper Paleolithic till early Bronze Age),
that the agriculture / livestock-farming, pottery, metallurgy (copper, bronze), writing and other
civilizational values, were brought to Lower Mesopotamia from their primary sources, the Armenian
Highland.
Parallel comparison is done between Armenian and Sumerian terminologies for respective
fields. Their identity establishes the results obtained through the examination of archeological
material, and proves that Sumerians were people of Armenian tongue.
Although the work Origin of Sumer is not yet published, I am presenting a section of the
work, for specialists and readers examination, which contains the comparative table of agriculture/
livestock-farming terminologies corresponding to Armenian and Sumerian, and comprising of 71
terms. This table does not include the complete list of such terms, it is brought here to elucidate the
fact, derived from the examination of archeological evidences, that agriculture and livestock-farming
were brought to Lower Mesopotamia from the north, from the Armenian Highland. Therefore,
naturally, the people who brought these civilization values to Lower Mesopotamia, and who founded
the first establishments there, would have spoken in the language with which the natives of the
Armenian Highland spoke.
There are numerous terms in Sumerian, that in their syllabic transliteration, the
interpretation of one or two syllables were incorrectly selected by the decipherers, as a result of
which, the entire phonetic composition of the word got deformed and deviated almost beyond
recognition from its parallel Armenian word of the same meaning. Reading corrections of four such
terms are presented here (in the actual work, several tens of such terms are resolved).

Table 1. Comparative table of agriculture / livestock-farming terms in Sumerian and Armenian

Sumerian Meaning of the Sumerian word Akkadian Armenian

a2-bad3 shelter tabinu / apat
a-gar3, agar2,3,4 meadow ugru - / agar-
alal cultivation mretu / arar
ar3, ara3 to grind samdu / a
ar-za-na groats arsnu /aan
anan grain, cereals anan / anan
a3, az3 bread akalu / ha
a, a2 a type of flour upumtu / a
ba a cutting tool suppnu / bah
ba9-ar, pax-ar wall igru / par
bad3 wall dru / pat
bir, pir3, bir9 to scatter, disperse saphu , () / phir
bi-ir-tu fort, castle birtu / berd
ga, ka3 milk izbu / ka
ga2 house, dwelling place btu , / ka, kay
ga2 manor, estate btu - / kay-q
gada, kut2 flax, linen kit / ktaw (kut)
gal2, kal threshing floor makanu / kal
ga-ar3 cheese eqdu / gayr
gara2, ga-ara3 cream gar / karag
gaz, kas3, kaz8 to smash, to break, to crush, hep, halu, / kas
shatter kau

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gana2, kana2 field eqlu / kana
gu4 bull, ox, cattle alpu / kow
E2gu4 barn - / gom
gud calf, cub - -, - /
kut-, kot-
git2, kid10, kit10 to milk, to drip natku / ki
du8, duh, tuh, uh to bake ep / u; /eph
dur3 male donkey mru - / djor-i
eze, e-ze2 sheep, goat immeru , / ay, e
e4-de2, a-de2 to irrigate aq a eqli / yet
zi-zi, i2-i2 horse ss / i, i
zel, zil to split apart, to split, furrow altu /el
zub bent stick gamlu / up
al to sieve, filter ahlu -> / al
hahur, ha-u-ur2 apple hahru / nor
ha-zi, ha-i2 a type of barley, grain - / ha
ha-zi-in, ku6-zi-in ax hainnu / kain
hi-nu6, hi2-nu6 plenty - / in
hu bird iru /haw
i3, ia3 oil, fat, cream amnu , / iw, e
kamu cattle alpu , / g/komo
kur2, qur4 unit of capacity - / qor
kur5 channel - / kori
kur6, kurum6 food allocation, ration kurummatu , / kur, ker
ku skin, leather maku / kai, / mak
la-ha-an water container lahannu / lakan
lum broken, crushed - / lum
mu tree iu / mov
mu3 = mu to curdle? - - /ma-
na-hi-ru12 herd lahru / nair
pe-el, ba-al, bal to dig, excavate her / pe
pi6 tuft nipu / pi
sa, a, a net tu / an
sa-ga, saga11, sag11 farming tool - / aq
san2, sun6 cauldron ruqqu / san
sipad, sipa shepherd, herder r' / pet
ar, sar garden maru / ar
allur, ennur plum allru , / salor, lor
si-sa2 to make straight, to make vertical eru / i
sik2, sek2 wool, fleece, (animal's) pelt rtu, ptu / sek
itim2, u-tum storehouse utummu - / tem-
tab, tap to flatten sapnu / taph
dapar cattle alpu , /tawar
duruna2, tinur, oven, tannour tinru , / oron,
tinuru, tunur onir
Etir grain, cereal - / tir
ulul2, alal4 cultivation - / arar
udu sheep, goat immeru / odi

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urta ear of barley antu / art
u2-tul2, u2-du-lu herdsman utullu / hota
ur4, ur5 to gather, collect baqmu, edu -, - / or-

As sumerologists state, that the decipherment of Sumerian is incomplete, while the

phonology of Sumerian words are unknown. As it appears from the information given in the table,
Armenian language presents an opportunity to discover the exact phonology of Sumerian words. In
certain cases, the words seeming difference between Armenian and Sumerian is the result of artificial
interference caused by our current time, being presumed that the language of cuneiform inscriptions
must be Semitic, the decipherers had transliterated words into Latin, based on 21 characters, whereas
Armenian language has 36 phonemes. However, this artificial barrier is eliminated with ease.
There are numerous Sumerian words, for which, when reading the syllabic form, the reading
of at least a syllable, has been incorrectly selected. As a result of which, the phonetic composition of
the Sumerian word is artificially deformed and deviated from the Armenian word of the same
meaning. Let us present a few such examples, where the correct reading of the cuneiform that
constitutes the syllable, makes the Armenian and Sumerian words of same meaning, identical.

ANE = - The identity of Armenian word (e) and Sumerian word ANE, have
already been stated at the beginning of the 20th century by linguists A. Sagezian and Y. Karst. 1 The
Sumerian word is syllabized in AN-E, AN-U, AN-I forms, and it is obvious that in order to make
these to coincide with Armenian word , it is necessary for AN cuneiform to have e= reading.
The reading of AN=sky, high cuneiform,
di-ge-er = diger = (diqer) = gods
di-we4-er = diwer = / (diwer/dewer) = spirits, gods
in cuneiform inscription is written next to names of deities, and is used as indicator for the meaning
of god. The AN cuneiform is created from eight rayed star sign image ( ), which in Armenian
Medieval Book of Knowledge Signs has the star/ meaning. In Sumerian, the combination
symbol ( ), formed of three stars is used for the meanings of constellation, star, which is read
as mul= (mul) = flickering and literally is meant stars. In Armenian, the word (mul)
has to glitter, to shine, to flicker meanings. Moreover, the oldest samples of the eight rayed star
symbol ( ), exist among the Syunik Petroglyphs, engraved during the upper Paleolithic era. 2
It is obvious, that the ideogram of word god in the shape of star was developed on the
homonymic basis of the root-part -(ast-) of the Armenian words star=- (ast-e) and
god=- (ast-ua). In Armenian, along the words: (astua), (bag), (diq),
(goy) etc., that pertain to the meaning of god, the single syllable word (E)= god, existence,
also belongs to this series, which was inscribed in capitalized form at the beginning of ecclesiastical
documents and letters, to signify god, with god, in the name of god. Yeghish Vardabet, a 5-th
century historian and theologian (in , , 9), interprets the Essence of God
thus: , , (Father, Word is Son, E is Holy Spirit), in other words, in
Armenian medieval manuscripts, the word (E)=god was used as the title of Christian Holy Spirit.
One of the Babylonian names of the Marduks worship center was EKI, which would literally
mean the place of (E), place of God. This meaning is compatible with the Akkadian name of the
city Babylon, meaning Gods Door, Gate. There is a direct attestation, namely, the e4 reading of the
cuneiform A, has the meaning god (e = A = i-lum (Proto-Aa 4, 4)).

1
. . , , see word section.
2
. H. Martirosyan, The Dating of Syunik Petroglyphs, 2015,
https://www.academia.edu/19143026/THE_DATING_OF_SYUNIK_PETROGLYPHS

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 Therefore, if the ideogram of the cuneiform AN is formed on basis of the homonym of the
Armenian language, then Armenian language demands the reading e= for AN cuneiform, as
signification of the meaning god. Thus, for the word that signifies the meaning (donkey), we
obtain AN-E = e-e, AN-I = e-i, AN-U = e-u. In fact, in Armenian language, the readings e, ei,
eu = (e), (ei), (eo), represent the nominative and genitive declensions of the word .

NUMUN = - In dictionaries of cuneiforms, this word is syllabized in NU-mun, NU-

mu-un, NU-mu forms and at first glance it seems to have no relation to the Armenian word
(serm), (sermn) = seed (of plant, human, animal), race, generation. The Armenian word
comprises of root (ser) = race, lineage, offspring, generation, and - (-mn), - (-m)
particle. On the other hand, it is obvious, that the compounds -mun, -mu-un, -mu of the Sumerian
word are identical to the Armenian -(-mun), -(-mn), -(-m) particles.
Consequently, we can assume, that in the reading of the word numun, for the NU
cuneiform, the proper value is not chosen from the readings (nu, la3, sir5/ser5, sarx, surx, ir5, ul2), and
that the selected nu- value is incorrect. And that, indeed is so, because the cuneiform NU has
sir5/ser5 reading and offspring, generation, sperm meaning (Akkad. lipitu), which is identical with
the Armenian word (ser): sir5, ser5 = (ser) = seed, race , generation. The Akkadian of the
NU cuneiform has also lipitu reading with some kind of plant meaning, against which the
Armenian name for field clover is - (siri-siri), formed by the / (sir/ser) root
repetition.
In conclusion, we can insist, that in the word NU-mun it is necessary to place the ser5 reading
of the NU cuneiform:
NU-mun = ser5-mun = sermun = (genitive - (serman))
NU-mu-un = ser5-mu-un = sermun =
NU-mu = ser5-mu = serm =
Thus, we observe that by the correction of one syllable, previously read NUMUN word
became identical with the native Armenian word : sermun = (sermn) (gen.
(serman)). We note also, that the Armenian = Sumerian word is borrowed by Akkadian and utilized
as zru = ze-ru = se2-ru = ser = root form.

duruna2= - The Armenian word (onir), (oron), (ondir),

(ontir), (untir)= underground oven is considered by H. Hbschmann as loaned
word from Iranian languages. While H. Adjarian writing, that the source form of this word, usage of
which extents throughout the entire Near East, is Semitic, however, he is not able to find from which
language it was borrowed into Armenian. In reality, the word has passed to all other language from
Armenian, which we clarify again, with the help of Sumerian.
In Sumerian the word is written in the following syllabic forms: tu-nu-ur, ti-nu-ur, du-ru-un,
du-ru-na (Akkadian tinru). The same word is written in syllabic or ideogram form as: IMdu-ru-un,
IM.U.RIN or LAGABxIM = IM-rin, where the words -/on- and -/or-
compounds are ideogrammed by IM = rain, wind cuneiform.
The ability to form such an ideogram construct is granted only by Armenian language,
because, only in the Armenian language there exist / (on)=rain and (or)=rain words
(the latter is from the root-word (or)=the flow of water, flowing water, tears). Thus, the word
is native Armenian and has passed from Sumerian to Akkadian, and from the latter to other
Semitic languages and henceforth expanded.
In the deciphered version of the IM cuneiform, it is the reading tu15 that corresponds to the

Armenian /or and /on words. This reading comes from TU = IM ( = )

identity that holds in the cuneiform dictionaries, which implies, that for the meaning rain, we must

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give to IM cuneiform a certain reading of the TU cuneiform. Sumerologists have selected the tu
reading of the TU cuneiform and assigned the tu15 reading to the IM cuneiform. However, the TU
cuneiform has readings tur5, dur11, which are exactly identical to the Armenian word /or =rain:
tur5, dur11== rain. Consequently, in this case, it was necessary for the rain meaning of the IM
cuneiform to resurrect the turx, urx= reading. As for the =rain word, it was necessary for
TU cuneiform to select the TUD readings following decoding: TUD = TU-UD = tu-un5 = u2-un5 = un
= = rain. An additional prove to the testimony of these readings is the fact that the Akkadian
version of the un = = rain word is attested with the word zunnu, which is exact identical of
the Armenian word (ziun)=snow (in dialects: /zun, /un, /un, /zon, etc.)

URU4, URU11 = = to sow, to seed, to plow (Akkad. eru) In cuneiform

dictionaries, both of these words are presented in U2-RU syllabication. In this, substituting for the U2
cuneiform wa3, and for RU cuneiform ru readings, we obtain:
URU4, URU11 = wa3-ru = war =
In Armenian, (var) word has the meanings to cultivate soil, to plow, to sow, which
correctly matches with the resurrected reading and meaning of the Sumerian word. 3

3
. H. Adjarian, puts the Armenian word , as a loanword from the presumed Iranian va= to lead, to
drive away form. First, /var=to plow, to sow, to seed and /var=to direct, to drive away, to control,
to lead words do not have the same source and are simply homonyms. The presumed Iranian form does not
have the to sow, to plow meaning. Secondly, the words existence in Sumerian (3-th millennium B.C.) rules
out Iranian origin. The Iranian tribes appeared in the region around 8-th century B.C. and it is they who have
loaned the word /var from Armenian or any cuneiform language in Mesopotamia.

7

( )
, -
, , (, ),

:

:
, :
:
,
-
, 71 :
:
,

: ,

, :
,
,

:
(
):

1. - -
:

a2-bad3 shelter tabinu / apat
a-gar3, agar2,3,4 meadow ugru - / agar-
alal cultivation mretu / arar
ar3, ara3 to grind samdu / a
ar-za-na groats arsnu /aan
anan grain, cereals anan / anan
a3, az3 bread akalu / ha
a, a2 a type of flour upumtu / a
ba a cutting tool suppnu / bah
ba9-ar, pax-ar wall igru / par
bad3 wall dru / pat
bir, pir3, bir9 to scatter, disperse saphu , () / phir
bi-ir-tu fort, castle birtu / berd
ga, ka3 milk izbu / ka
ga2 house, dwelling place btu , / ka, kay
ga2 manor, estate btu - / kay-q
gada, kut2 flax, linen kit / ktaw (kut)
gal2, kal threshing floor makanu / kal

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ga-ar3 cheese eqdu / gayr
gara2, ga-ara3 cream gar / karag
gaz, kas3, kaz8 to smash, to break, to crush, hep, halu, / kas
shatter kau
gana2, kana2 field eqlu / kana
gu4 bull, ox, cattle alpu / kow
E2gu4 barn - / gom
gud calf, cub - -, - /
kut-, kot-
git2, kid10, kit10 to milk, to drip natku / ki
du8, duh, tuh, uh to bake ep / u; /eph
dur3 male donkey mru - / djor-i
eze, e-ze2 sheep, goat immeru , / ay, e
e4-de2, a-de2 to irrigate aq a eqli / yet
zi-zi, i2-i2 horse ss / i, i
zel, zil to split apart, to split, furrow altu /el
zub bent stick gamlu / up
al to sieve, filter ahlu -> / al
hahur, ha-u-ur2 apple hahru / nor
ha-zi, ha-i2 a type of barley, grain - / ha
ha-zi-in, ku6-zi-in ax hainnu / kain
hi-nu6, hi2-nu6 plenty - / in
hu bird iru /haw
i3, ia3 oil, fat, cream amnu , / iw, e
kamu cattle alpu , / g/komo
kur2, qur4 unit of capacity - / qor
kur5 channel - / kori
kur6, kurum6 food allocation, ration kurummatu , / kur, ker
ku skin, leather maku / kai, / mak
la-ha-an water container lahannu / lakan
lum broken, crushed - / lum
mu tree iu / mov
mu3 = mu to curdle? - - /ma-
na-hi-ru12 herd lahru / nair
pe-el, ba-al, bal to dig, excavate her / pe
pi6 tuft nipu / pi
sa, a, a net tu / an
sa-ga, saga11, sag11 farming tool - / aq
san2, sun6 cauldron ruqqu / san
sipad, sipa shepherd, herder r' / pet
ar, sar garden maru / ar
allur, ennur plum allru , / salor, lor
si-sa2 to make straight, to make vertical eru / i
sik2, sek2 wool, fleece, (animal's) pelt rtu, ptu / sek
itim2, u-tum storehouse utummu - / tem-
tab, tap to flatten sapnu / taph
dapar cattle alpu , /tawar
duruna2, tinur, oven, tannour tinru , / oron,

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tinuru, tunur onir
Etir grain, cereal - / tir
ulul2, alal4 cultivation - / arar
udu sheep, goat immeru / odi
urta ear of barley antu / art
u2-tul2, u2-du-lu herdsman utullu / hota
ur4, ur5 to gather, collect baqmu, edu -, - / or-

,
: ,

:
. ,
,
21 , 36 :
:
,
,

: ,
:

ANE = - (e) ANE=

XX . . : 4
AN-E, AN-U, AN-I ,
, AN
e= : AN=,
di-ge-er = diger = (diqer) =
di-we4-er = diwer = / (diwer/dewer) =,

: AN ( )
, :
,
( ), mul= (mul) =
: (mul) , ,
:
( ): 5
,
=- (ast-e) =- (ast-ua) -(ast-)
:
( (astua), (bag), (diq), (goy) )
(E)=, ,
, , : V
( , , 9)

4
. . , , :
5
. H. Martirosyan, The Dating of Syunik Petroglyphs, 2015,
https://www.academia.edu/19143026/THE_DATING_OF_SYUNIK_PETROGLYPHS

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 . , , ,
(E)=
:
EKI,
(E)- , :
, :
, A e4 (e = A = i-lum (Proto-Aa
4, 4)):
, AN
, AN e= ,
; AN-
E = e-e, AN-I = e-i, AN-U = e-u: e, ei, eu = (e), (ei), (eo)
:

NUMUN = - NU-mun,
NU-mu-un, NU-mu (serm),
(sermn)= (, , ), , :
(ser) =, , , - (-mn), - (-m)
: , , -mun, -mu-un, -mu
-(-mun), -(-mn), -(-m) :
, numun NU
(nu, la3, sir5/ser5, sarx, surx, ir5, ul2)
nu- : , NU
sir5/ser5 , , (. lipitu),
(ser) . sir5, ser5 = (ser) = , , : NU
lipitu ,
- (siri-siri) , / (sir/ser)
:
, NU-mun NU
ser5 .
NU-mun = ser5-mun = sermun = (. (serman))
NU-mu-un = ser5-mu-un = sermun =
NU-mu = ser5-mu = serm =
, , NUMUN
. sermun = (. ):
, = zru = ze-ru
= se2-ru = ser = :

duruna2= - (onir), (oron), (ondir),

(ontir), (untir)= .
: . ,
, ,
: ,
:
. tu-nu-ur, ti-nu-ur, du-ru-
un, du-ru-na ( tinru):
IMdu-ru-un, IM.U.RIN LAGABxIM = IM-rin , - -
IM=, :

11

, / (on)=
(or)= ( (or)= , , ):
(=)
, :
IM
tu15 :

TU=IM ( = ) , ,
IM TU :
TU tu IM
tu15 : TU tur5, dur11 ,
= . tur5, dur11==: ,
IM turx, urx=
: = , TU
TUD . TUD = TU-UD = tu-un5 = u2-un5 = un = =
: ,
un = = zunnu ,
(ziun)= ( , , ,
):

URU4, URU11 =, , (. eru) -

U2-RU :
U2 wa3 RU ru , .
URU4, URU11 = wa3-ru = war =
(var) , , ,

: 6

6
. . *va=,
: , = , , =, , ,
:
, : (.. III .)
: .. ~VIII
:

12