Researcher and Novelist
Eldem has published dozens of articles and essays on archaeo-astronomy, along with unorthodox interpretations of sacred texts and papyri. His writings on ancient Mesopotamian cosmology and Mayan astronomy eventually became the basis and nucleus of a trilogy, named "The Hidden History". The first volume was published in 2003: the best-selling "2012: Rendez-vous With Marduk".
Examining, adapting and developing the work of Zecharia Sitchin, the book refers to the hypothetical Planet X, and suggests an orbital period of 3661 solar years with a return date in 2012. Eldem also suggests that the number 3661 was written as "three wedges" with cuneiform in Mesopotamian sexagesimal mathematics: One wedge each for 3600's, 60's and units digits. This cuneiform sign, claims Eldem, was misinterpreted by Jewish exiles in Babylon and the enigmatic 666 was created: the Number of the Beast was actually the number of solar years in Marduk's orbital period.
The book became a best-seller in Turkey in 2004 and Eldem was criticized by religious writers for being an atheist, denying the Old Testament prophets such as Moses, promoting the theory of evolution, accusing Moses and Aaron of inventing the concept of God in order to reassure themselves following natural disasters such as floods.
On the other hand, his works had very positive critics from some of the outstanding writers and journalists of the Turkish Press, like Engin Ardıç and Serdar Turgut, the editor-in-chief of daily newspaper "Akşam" (The Evening). Ardıç, a very popular writer, columnist and former TV commentator, also contributed to "2012: Rendez-vous With Marduk" by writing its foreword.
The same year came his first novel, Seni Tılsımlar Korur "Talismans Protect Thee"; a semi-fantastic fiction on immortality, a five thousand years old dark secret which had been hidden from humanity, a dark international conspiracy and a top secret research on human DNA. "Talismans" became one of the best-selling novels of 2005 in Turkey.
Eldem's second book of the "The Hidden History" trilogy, Fraternis: Lost Books, Secret Brotherhood was published in April 2006. "Fraternis" focuses on alleged lost records of ancient wisdom; a mysterious, legendary collection of writings, traces of which he says can be found under various names like "The Sibylline Books", "Corpus Hermetica" or "The Lost Books of Phoenicians".
Eldem prepared an eight-days article series in April 2005 for the daily newspaper Akşam, which presented a mini summary of "2012: Rendez-vous With Marduk". Since then, he publishes his articles only at his official website and once in a month contributes to the online magazine "Derki".
Read more about this topic: Burak Eldem
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