Eridu was the first city of Sumerian cosmology — the place where Enki, god of wisdom and freshwater, established civilization itself. The ziggurat stands atop 17 successive temple rebuilding phases spanning 4,000 years, from simple reed shrines of 5400 BCE to the monumental brick platform of the third millennium. This stratigraphic sequence is arguably the most complete record of continuous religious activity at a single location anywhere on Earth. At 270.09° Giza bearing, Eridu sits on an almost exact east-west line with the Great Pyramid — a longitudinal axis connecting the origin point of Sumerian civilization to the apex of Egyptian monumental architecture across 1,426 km of desert.
Stellar Alignments (89 stars)
| Star ▴ | Rise Az ▴ | Rise Δ ▴ | Set Az ▴ | Set Δ ▴ | Tradition ▴ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleiades (Alcyone) | 86.8° | — | 273.2° | — | |
| Orion's Belt (Alnilam) | 107.0° | — | 253.0° | — | |
| Sirius | 114.4° | — | 245.6° | — | |
| Thuban | — | — | — | — | |
| Vega | 37.9° | — | 322.1° | — | |
| Regulus | 61.8° | — | 298.3° | — | |
| Aldebaran | 92.2° | — | 267.8° | — | |
| Antares | 98.2° | — | 261.8° | — | |
| Fomalhaut | 144.3° | — | 215.7° | — | |
| Arcturus | 34.1° | — | 325.9° | — | |
| Galactic Center (Sgr A*) | 107.1° | — | 252.9° | — | |
| Galactic Anti-Center | 73.0° | — | 287.1° | — | |
| Deneb | 46.2° | — | 313.8° | — | |
| Capella | 55.6° | — | 304.4° | — | |
| Castor | 58.0° | — | 302.0° | — | |
| Pollux | 60.8° | — | 299.2° | — | |
| Procyon | 84.7° | — | 275.4° | — | |
| Betelgeuse | 95.7° | — | 264.4° | — | |
| Rigel | 117.0° | — | 243.0° | — | |
| Bellatrix | 99.7° | — | 260.3° | — | |
| Achernar | — | — | — | — | |
| Acrux | 138.8° | — | 221.2° | — | |
| Mimosa | 133.8° | — | 226.2° | — | |
| Altair | 80.1° | — | 279.9° | — | |
| Kochab | — | — | — | — | |
| Dubhe | — | — | — | — | |
| Alkaid | — | — | — | — | |
| Mizar | — | — | — | — | |
| Hamal | 90.2° | — | 269.8° | — | |
| Zubenelgenubi | 81.6° | — | 278.4° | — | |
| Alnitak | 107.4° | — | 252.6° | — | |
| Mintaka | 106.4° | — | 253.6° | — | |
| Saiph | 115.2° | — | 244.8° | — | |
| Peacock | 157.3° | — | 202.7° | — | |
| Miaplacidus | 160.9° | — | 199.1° | — | |
| Rigil Kentaurus | 136.4° | — | 223.6° | — | |
| Hadar | 133.9° | — | 226.1° | — | |
| Gacrux | 130.6° | — | 229.4° | — | |
| Naos | 132.3° | — | 227.7° | — | |
| Suhail | 128.9° | — | 231.1° | — | |
| Avior | 153.0° | — | 207.0° | — | |
| Atria | 150.6° | — | 209.4° | — | |
| Regor | 139.9° | — | 220.1° | — | |
| Alsephina | 144.3° | — | 215.7° | — | |
| Shaula | 115.0° | — | 245.0° | — | |
| Ankaa | — | — | — | — | |
| Menkent | 103.9° | — | 256.1° | — | |
| Alpheratz | 81.0° | — | 279.0° | — | |
| Eltanin | 11.5° | — | 348.5° | — | |
| Kornephoros | 43.0° | — | 317.1° | — | |
| Rasalhague | 59.8° | — | 300.2° | — | |
| Denebola | 48.7° | — | 311.3° | — | |
| Alhena | 81.3° | — | 278.6° | — | |
| Alphard | 88.9° | — | 271.1° | — | |
| Bharani | 93.4° | — | 266.6° | — | |
| Pushya | 64.5° | — | 295.5° | — | |
| Adhara | 128.2° | — | 231.8° | — | |
| Wezen | 124.1° | — | 235.9° | — | |
| Navi | 45.0° | — | 315.0° | — | |
| Schedar | 49.9° | — | 310.1° | — | |
| Nunki | 111.1° | — | 248.9° | — | |
| Canopus | 163.7° | — | 196.3° | — | |
| Kaus Australis | 116.6° | — | 243.4° | — | |
| Sabik | 89.5° | — | 270.5° | — | |
| Scheat | 78.7° | — | 281.4° | — | |
| Enif | 91.5° | — | 268.5° | — | |
| Diphda | 138.9° | — | 221.1° | — | |
| Alphecca | 30.4° | — | 329.6° | — | |
| Rasalgethi | 56.0° | — | 304.0° | — | |
| Spica | 75.4° | — | 284.6° | — | |
| Zubeneschamali | 74.8° | — | 285.2° | — | |
| Unukalhai | 57.6° | — | 302.4° | — | |
| Murzim | 120.4° | — | 239.6° | — | |
| Phact | 144.6° | — | 215.4° | — | |
| Mirfak | 57.7° | — | 302.3° | — | |
| Vindemiatrix | 49.4° | — | 310.6° | — | |
| Markab | 93.0° | — | 267.1° | — | |
| Algol | 68.9° | — | 291.1° | — | |
| Sadalmelik | 104.9° | — | 255.1° | — | |
| Sadalsuud | 107.0° | — | 253.0° | — | |
| Sun (Summer Solstice) | 62.4° | — | 297.6° | — | |
| Sun (Winter Solstice) | 117.6° | — | 242.4° | — | |
| Sun (Equinox) | 90.0° | — | 270.0° | — | |
| Sun (Northern Cross-Quarter) | 70.7° | — | 289.3° | — | |
| Sun (Southern Cross-Quarter) | 109.3° | — | 250.7° | — | |
| Moon (N Major Standstill) | 56.0° | — | 304.0° | — | |
| Moon (S Major Standstill) | 124.0° | — | 236.0° | — | |
| Moon (N Minor Standstill) | 68.1° | — | 291.9° | — | |
| Moon (S Minor Standstill) | 111.9° | — | 248.1° | — |
Convergence Events (5)
270.0°
Equinox Sunset
Universal
Δ 0.1°
269.6°
Mintaka Set
Egyptian, Maya, Arabic, Sumerian (near equator — visible everywhere)
Δ 0.4°
269.6°
Sadalmelik Set
Arabic (luck of king), Persian, Babylonian (EA), Hindu
Δ 0.5°
268.6°
Orion Belt (Alnilam) Set
Egyptian (Sah/Osiris), Maya (Hearth), Pawnee
Δ 1.5°
267.7°
Alnitak Set
Egyptian (Sah), Maya, Arabic, Aboriginal
Δ 2.4°
Reference Bearings (20 landmarks)
| Landmark | Bearing | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| giza | 270.09° | 1,427 km |
| angkor wat | 94.56° | 6,197 km |
| nazca | 272.53° | 13,779 km |
| teotihuacan | 321.58° | 13,259 km |
| stonehenge | 314.31° | 4,502 km |
| gobekli tepe | 319.52° | 965 km |
| machu picchu | 272.86° | 13,463 km |
| easter island | 273.53° | 17,586 km |
| cahokia | 326.68° | 11,050 km |
| sedona | 340.56° | 12,350 km |
| mecca | 211.94° | 1,211 km |
| jerusalem | 278.73° | 1,029 km |
| vatican | 301.89° | 3,221 km |
| lhasa | 79.79° | 4,307 km |
| kailash | 80.23° | 3,354 km |
| uluru | 114.36° | 10,981 km |
| tiwanaku | 267.38° | 13,266 km |
| chaco canyon | 337.98° | 12,098 km |
| mt shasta | 350.83° | 11,906 km |
| levis stadium | 349.79° | 12,328 km |
Related Sites — Giza / Orion Extraction