Das IM.DUGUD Mystery and the Space Gliders of the Dingir by Dr. Hermann Burgard
Das IM.DUGUD Mystery and the Space Gliders of the Dingir
by Dr. Hermann Burgard
This book is one of the most ambitious and controversial publications released by the A.A.S. (Forschungsgesellschaft für Archäologie, Astronautik und SETI), the German research society associated with Erich von Däniken and the ancient astronaut hypothesis. Published in 2023, the book spans approximately 140 pages and presents a radical reinterpretation of Sumerian cuneiform texts.
The Central Thesis
Burgard argues that for more than a century Assyriologists have fundamentally misunderstood many Sumerian texts.
According to him, what modern scholars interpret as mythology is actually technical documentation.
Instead of describing:
mythical birds,
gods,
storms,
divine weapons,
or religious symbolism,
the texts allegedly describe:
advanced aerospace technology,
spacecraft,
orbital stations,
and transportation systems operated by the Dingir ("gods").
His central claim is that ancient Mesopotamian scribes recorded real technological events, which later generations misunderstood as myths.
What is IM.DUGUD?
IM.DUGUD is an ancient Sumerian compound term.
In conventional Assyriology it is usually associated with:
the mythological bird Anzû (Anzu),
a divine eagle,
or a supernatural storm bird.
Burgard rejects this interpretation entirely.
According to him,
IM.DUGUD is not a bird.
It is the technical designation for an aircraft.
Burgard's Linguistic Analysis
He analyzes the word in two components.
IM
can denote:
air
wind
atmosphere
gaseous medium
movement through air
DUGUD
means:
heavy
massive
powerful
Therefore he proposes that
IM.DUGUD literally means
"Heavy atmospheric vehicle"
or
"Massive airborne machine"
rather than
"great bird."
Why Does He Believe It Is an Aircraft?
Burgard examines dozens of cuneiform passages.
He argues that IM.DUGUD performs actions completely inconsistent with a bird.
For example, it:
lands
takes off
transports passengers
enters and exits structures
produces tremendous noise
emits fire
raises clouds of dust
travels between Earth and Heaven
carries important officials (the Dingir)
is operated by a crew
To Burgard, these descriptions resemble engineered vehicles rather than mythological creatures.
The Three Types of Spacecraft
One of the book's major proposals is that the Sumerians distinguished between three different classes of aerospace vehicles.
1. Orbital Station
According to Burgard, many Sumerian texts refer to a permanent installation located in space.
He argues that what the texts call
"Heaven"
was not merely a spiritual realm,
but an actual orbital station serving as the headquarters of the Dingir.
2. IM.DUGUD
The second category is the IM.DUGUD itself.
Burgard compares it directly with NASA's Space Shuttle.
Its purpose was allegedly to:
descend from orbit,
land on Earth,
transport personnel,
and return to the orbital station.
This explains why the German title uses the word
Raumgleiter
("space glider" or "space shuttle").
3. Atmospheric Aircraft
The third category consists of smaller flying machines that operated only within Earth's atmosphere.
Burgard compares them to:
airplanes,
helicopters,
or atmospheric transport craft.
Who Were the Dingir?
In mainstream Assyriology,
DINGIR is the Sumerian determinative meaning
"god" or "deity."
Burgard proposes a radically different interpretation.
According to him,
the Dingir were not supernatural beings.
Instead,
they were a technologically advanced civilization whose members traveled between Earth and an orbital station.
Ancient humans later deified them, giving rise to religious traditions.
Enheduanna's Hymns
A substantial portion of the book is devoted to a new analysis of the hymns of Enheduanna, the world's earliest known named author.
Burgard argues that her texts preserve some of the clearest descriptions of IM.DUGUD and other technological devices.
He believes later translators transformed these descriptions into mythology by interpreting technical terminology symbolically rather than literally.
Why Does the Cover Mention "13,000 Years Ago"?
The book claims that spacecraft operated by the Dingir already existed around 13,000 years ago.
This date is not accepted by mainstream archaeology.
Rather, it reflects Burgard's hypothesis that Sumerian traditions preserve memories from an extremely ancient pre-flood civilization whose history stretches far beyond the beginning of recorded civilization.
Additional Claims
Burgard argues that over thousands of years:
repeated copying of texts,
scribal errors,
religious reinterpretations,
and deliberate theological editing
gradually transformed technical terminology into stories about:
giant birds,
monsters,
divine miracles,
and supernatural beings.
Sources Examined
The book analyzes numerous Sumerian texts, including:
the Epic of Gilgamesh
Enmerkar traditions
hymns to Inanna
texts concerning Enki
texts concerning Enlil
temple hymns
royal inscriptions
early lexical lists
religious liturgies
Burgard compares the usage of individual Sumerian signs across multiple documents in an attempt to reconstruct their original technical meaning.
Academic Reception
It is important to distinguish between the book's claims and the scholarly consensus.
Mainstream Assyriologists do not accept Burgard's conclusions.
According to current academic research:
DINGIR is the standard Sumerian sign indicating a deity.
IM.DUGUD and related terms are generally understood within mythological and religious contexts.
There is no archaeological or linguistic evidence accepted by the academic community supporting the existence of orbital stations or spacecraft in ancient Sumerian civilization.
Consequently, the book belongs to the field of ancient astronaut research rather than mainstream Near Eastern studies.
Why the Book Is Significant
Even for readers who do not accept Burgard's conclusions, the book is noteworthy because it attempts to build its case through detailed philological analysis rather than relying solely on speculation.
Its value lies in:
extensive examination of Sumerian vocabulary,
comparison of alternative translations,
collection of numerous cuneiform passages,
and a systematic effort to reinterpret ancient terminology through a technological lens.
For researchers interested in ancient Mesopotamian religion, paleocontact theories, or alternative interpretations of Sumerian literature, it offers one of the most comprehensive recent attempts to argue that the oldest written texts in human history describe advanced aerospace technology rather than mythology.
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