********************************************************************* This story from behind the curtain of modern science was posted to the 700+ members of the

"History of Astronomy Discussion Group" HASTRO-L@listserv.wvu.edu By Rumen K. Kolev on June 14th 2011. ********************************************************************* Everyone may be joyous! I was away for long time. But now I am back with some good stories! Ladies and Gentlemen!

Let me present you with:

*KOCH JOHANNES, NABU & THE ASTROLABE*

* A story of Assyriology and stars from 'behind the curtain' of modern science *
*(The Argument on the Age of the Astrolabe in N.A.B.U. 2010.2 and 3. )*

Part I
by Rumen K. Kolev, the 11th of Simanu, 2011 (14th of June)

******* WARNING: This is a story as told on the market by a story-teller. A hat waiting for donations is in the center of the circle. Anyone who stops by to hear the story may be asked for a contribution. (what will be the contribution will be revealed in the second Part of the story). copyright: The StoryTeller *******

It was in 2008 when rumours spread that astronomical information from 5,500 BC has been found in the path-positions of the Astrolabe stars. A research presented by me on the Melammu VI symposium proved mathematically the very basis of the existence in Mesopotamia in prehistoric times of An Ancient Mesopotamian Philosophy (WeltAnschaung , World-View) that the pan-Babylonians, like the great scholar in Mesopotamia Alfred Jeremias, strove to recreate.
(for more on this story, check and recheck these days and weeks at www.babylonianastrology.com as I will be soon uploading new materials. The MELAMMU VI volume is in print at Max Planck Institute in Berlin. May the spirits of the pan-Babylonians rejoice in their celestial abodes!)

So, for 2 years, the data and the full research on the 5,500 BC dating of the Astrolabe, was in the hands of virtually all 10 or 20 world specialists in the arcane field of Babylonian Astronomy It was in the spring of 2010 when finally, someone from among the well-known specialists in Babylonian Astronomy decided to say something! It was Koch Johannes. The 'German expert in Babylonian Astronomy' pronounced what he thought on the story of the 'Story-Teller' whom he, mistakenly so, several times called the 'Astrosoph aus Varna'. And indeed, we should hear also the opinion of all other experts..... Most of them, the Astrolabe-experts like Wayne Horowitz, Herman Hunger or Maria Casaburi, for sure will pretend to know nothing until the very publication of my research in Melammu VI... Then it will be the 'Reckoning Day' coming for many. To return to our Koch Johannes, he published in NABU 2010.2 his First Article on the 5,500 BC dating of the path-positions of the stars in the Astrolabe. He made a model with 3 stars and computed their path-positions. These were Sirius, Alphard, and Antares. This model Koch Johannes put up against my model with 2 stars (The Pleiades and Pollux). Here, Koch made something that I do not quite understand. He behaved as if he did not know about my model with 27 stars...! And in fact it was in the fall of 2008 when I sent him my whole research that I presented on the Melammu VI symposium. Why did Koch pretend as if he did not know nothing about this? Why build a stupid model with 3 stars when we know what are the results of the 27-starsmodel!? I do not understand this. It seems that I put too high hopes in his sincerety and scholarly manhood. Koch should have accepted the inevitable mathematical fact. Instead he decides to play mouse-and-cat with his model with 3 stars. Who is the mouse, though, is quite known. It is Koch!

Then I wrote my answer to the first article of Koch Johannes. It was published in NABU 2010.3: ***
THE REAL AGE of THE BABYLONIAN ASTROLABE. In NABU.2010.2:46 pp. 53-56 Johannes Koch- a scholar from Rothenburg Germany, known for his publications regarding the Babylonian Astronomy and Astrology, attempts to refute the irrefutable, id est ......

*** Here I built a model with 8 stars. I put together my 2 stars and the 3 stars of Koch- something that Koch should have done himself in his very first article- instead of opposing the results of two models with 2 and 3 stars !
(The STATISTICIAN will understand here the whole 'madness' of Koch. It is like taking out 5 fishes from the sea and separating them in 2 groups: One with 3 and another with 2. Then measuring their average length and arguing against the result of the 2-fish sample !!! Lunacy !)

I put all 5 fishes in one group and then added 3 more... (Sadalmelik, Altair and Procyon) Then I computed their path-positions from 10 000 BC to 10 000 AD. The data is in the article. ....................................................... In NABU 2010.3 THOUGH, KOCH JOHANNES came up with his second article on the Astrolabe. The journal was late to be printed and - I think- came out in the end of 2010. I was busy with things other than science and it was in the spring of 2011 when I learned that finally the so long awaited second article of Koch came out in light ! I immediately ordered it and it was the moment of Truth when I finally had it with trembling hands ! I wanted to see whether my conclusions will stand up to the intellectual titanic reasoning power of Koch. (Koch has informed me with private email that his second article will be detailed and strong and runs contrary to my conclusions...) Or has Koch noticed something that will really destroy all my conclusions for the 5,500 BC layer of information in the Astrolabe !? I know Koch by his articles and books and I respect his mathematical abilities and his great age too. The guy went to first grade and started school when Hitler took power in 1933 and Koch has been 19 years old when Hitler pulled the trigger in his bunker in Berlin. The guy definitely has sung songs dedicated to Hitler as I sang songs dedicated to Georgi Dimitrov and Lenin ! Koch is someone to count ! He is old and very smart. He does not care for career. He is not afraid. In such mood I read his second article. The big question for me was what has Koch found out since 2008 when he first read my research.

It was on the very first page of his second article that I noticed something strange. Koch ascribed to me that I find the azimuths of the boundaries between the paths by the azimuths of the heliacally rising Pleiades and Pollux in around 3800 BC.
. Kolev whlt dazu die Abgrenzung~70.3 - ~107.8, gewonnen mit Pollux ( Gem) und Pleiades ( Tau) zum Zeitpunkt ihres periodischen Wege-Wechsels um 3800 v. Chr., Eridu.

This was not true ! I am using the azimuths of the RISING SUN on days +-45 from the EQUINOX.
I wrote this explicitly in my internet PDF 'The two stars mini-model of the Astrolabe'. I wrote this also in my answer to Koch, titled The Real Age of the Babylonian Astrolabe, published in NABU 2010.3 (footnote 3 on p. 68). My computations give: azimuth 70 for Enlil-Anu and 109 for Anu-Ea. Another thing is that it is not even me who computed first these numbers! It was Koch-Westenholz.

Koch obviously has had a delirium. But why should he talk such things when in his First article, it seemed he understood very well what I was doing ! When I read the whole article I laughed and laughed aloud for very long time.

KOCH SUDDENLY INVENTED A NEW THEORY OF THE 'PATHS' !. It runs as follows: the boundaries between the three paths have been determined by the ancient Babylonians by the azimuths (of the heliacal rise) of the stars Pollux and the Pleiades around 1500 BC and by the Pleiades and Sirius around 900 BC! The heliacally rising Pleiades, according to Koch, in 1500 BC showed the boundary between the central and southern paths but between the northern and central paths in 900 BC! Very handy, because in this way we can gain any dating for any text! This was the biggiest nonsense I have heard in Assyriology lately! No wonder that Koch invented this ridiculous theory now, after he learned what would be the dating of the Astrolabe with his own choice of a path-theory from 1989. (azimuthal of Pingree)................... I could not believe it! Koch was going against All that he himself wrote on the 'paths'! Koch was going against All that all scholars in Babylonian Astronomy wrote on the 'paths'! But most importantly: Koch was going against All evidence- in texts and in recorded babylonian observations!

Comprehending the full extent of the absolute failure of Koch made me dive in deep thought, trying to grasp what was happening in his brain... This was a step of total despair. The super-scholar Koch johannes could not figure out anything against my 5,500 BC dating of the Astrolabe!

My elation and amazement lasted for a week! Then I sat down to write a response.

***to be continued ***

Everyone may be joyous! Here, I am only so happy and glad to continue the story from yesterday! Ladies and Gentlemen! Let me present you with:

*KOCH JOHANNES, NABU & THE ASTROLABE*

* A story of Assyriology and stars from 'behind the curtain' of modern science *
*(The Argument on the Age of the Astrolabe in N.A.B.U. 2010.2 and 3. )*

Part II
by Rumen K. Kolev, the 12th of Simanu, 2011 (14th of June)

******* WARNING: This is a story as told on the market by a story-teller. A hat waiting for donations is in the center of the circle. Anyone who stops by to hear the story may be asked for a contribution. (what will be the contribution will be revealed in this second Part of the story). copyright: The StoryTeller *******

To continue with Koch JohannesI thought long and in depth on the processes running in his brain. In order to save his dark, nihilistic and confused Kuglerian world, Koch resorted to complete madness and made himself an artificial schizophrenic: Inventing untenable theory of the paths in order to deny obvious facts. This must have been a torture for his mathematical mind-set. Anyway, as I said, after several days of parties celebrating the failure of Koch, I sat and rolled my sleeves up. First I sent an email to Koch where I told him my frank thoughts on his debacle to explain the path positions of the astrolabe stars. Then, I wrote my detailed answer to the second article of Koch. I wrote:
THE THREE CELESTIAL PATHS IN THE BABYLONIAN ASTRONOMY Several days ago I received NABU 2010.3 and read the second article by Koch Johannes..

Then I explained plainly what the paths are and why the new theory of Koch about them is untenable and contradicted by texts and observations. I did not miss also to underline that I follow the theory of Pingree and compute the boundaries of the paths the same way as Koch Westenholz (with the azimuth of the rising Sun + 45 days from the equinox). Then I reiterated what would be the results of a vigorous mathematical analysis of the path positions of the stars in the Astrolabe (5600BC to 5300BC) and MUL.APIN (1300 BC to 500 BC).

THE NABU SAGA Happy I sent this article as my answer to the second article of Koch. I sent the article to the 3 Assyriologists in charge of the journal N.A.B.U. Which means Nouvelles Assyriologiques Breves et Utilitaires News Assyriological Brief and Useful !

N.A.B.U. The scholars editing N.A.B.U. are : professor Dominique Charpin, professor Jean Marie Durand and Dr. Francis Joannes. Then I waited. Nothing happened. I checked my spam folder. Nothing. After one week I wrote again. Nothing. Then I wrote again after 5 more days. Nothing. Then again.. In the last 38 days (since May 06, 2011) I sent 6 emails to the editors of NABU! No answer ! No answer ! Is this happening? Are they trying to hide. I could not and still cannot believe it and thats why I waited for so long and so repeatedly emailed them. I wanted to be patient. But, hey !, no matter how disorganized and busy, they after all are in charge of a scholarly journal ! They cannot behave like this ! They cannot publish articles by Koch (absolutely idiotic) against my thesis and do not allow me to defend my position and even to ignore me and not answer my official entreats !!!!! Hey !, someone quickly tell me that this is not true ! Someone save my hope that these people do not degrade to such absolutely unacceptable behavior !

In such mood I wrote them my last 6th email: ***

Dear editors of N.A.B.U., With this email I am submitting for the 6th time a short article response to the critique of Koch J. in NABU 2010.3 (his second article on my research). As it is already 37 days and 6 times that I am trying to get in contact with you, I'd like to remind you that this is not a private email that you may ignore ! This is an official submission of a scholarly article to a scholarly journal ! You should answer me and tell me what is the status of my submission ! I am including several other scholars as recipients of this email (since the discussion may be of interest to them). Hoping that you will excuse my impatience, Cordially yours Rumen Simanu 10, 2011 June 13, 2011

*** By the way all files connected with the article that I sent to the editors of NABU, I sent also to Koch! Koch never sends me his articles that he writes against my thesis. I always send him my articles and even those that are against his thesis and still unpublished. Let him know what I want to publish in NABU, what is my answer. Science is not a game but a serious inquiry. I do not hide and have nothing to hide. So !!!

Now I am coming to a place in the story where I will need to refresh myself and I will ask for your contribution before I continue The contribution to this story will be to send an inquiring polite email to the 3 editors of N.A.B.U. and ask them when will they publish my answer to the second article of Koch ?
Dominique Charpin: <charpin@msh paris.fr> Jean Marie Durand: <jean marie.durand@college de france.fr> Francis Joannes: francis.joannes@mae.u paris10.fr

***to be (eventually) continued ***

Everyone may be joyous!

*KOCH JOHANNES, NABU & THE ASTROLABE*

* A story of Assyriology and stars from 'behind the curtain' of modern science *
*(The Argument on the Age of the Astrolabe in N.A.B.U. 2010.2 and 3. )*

Part III & last.

******* JOHANNES KOCH, THE QUEREINSTEIGER Eulogy of Koch. Damnation of the suppressors of science. And .. The Prophetic Words of Werner Papke ! ******* As told by Rumen K. Kolev, the 14th-15th of Simanu, 2011 (17th of June). This final and most important of all parts, Part III, was written after the full eclipse of the Moon on the 13th of Simanu that I observed at Varna around midnight Simanu 13. The Moon was eclipsed in The sting of the Scorpio, entered from left down, went out from right center. ******* WARNING: This is a story as told on the market by a story-teller. A hat waiting for donations is in the center of the circle. Anyone who stops by to hear the story may be asked for a contribution. copyright: The StoryTeller *******

As I told you, it was 2 days ago when I sent to Johannes Koch all that I sent to you- the first and second part of the story on him and the Astrolabe. I also sent to him again my answer to his second article in N.A.B.U. 2010.3. (all can be downloaded at www.babylonianastrology.com) In a personal appeal to his scholarly ethics I demanded that he personally contacts the N.A.B.U. editors and demand from them to publish my second article! Earlier I threw at him the truth:
It seems that the editors of N.A.B.U. hide from me and de facto refuse to publish my answer to your second article ! I hope that this is not the type of scholarly discussion you want to see !!!

Then I decided to wait for his answer. Koch usually answers me in 1 to 3 days after I write to him. But what was my surprise when the next morning I saw his answer waiting in the emailbox! So quick! Alas ! Alas! It was an email from his son Robert Koch! Dr. Koch, Johannes Koch, the old old scholar, the guy who was sincere, that peculiar and curious character, was no more among us, no more among the living on this Earth! Dr. Koch has passed away! May he depart for towards the heavens of light with Gods Mercy! JOHANNES KOCH THE QUEREINSTEIGER WHO ENTERS BY THE SIDE DOOR Indeed, by strange coincidence, the old fellow was in his last days when I was writing the story on him ! I will miss him since he was no stranger to me. He had the sincerity to publish his thoughts on my research on the Astrolabe. He expressed freely his thoughts in front of VAST Assyriological academia. He answered immediately my emails and as frank as he could! Koch was a real scholar by heart (if even mis led sometimes by his intellect). Koch did not have the stupid pride of the caste nor that still more damnanda pride of the learned men. Koch was like me, as he once told me a QuerEinsteiger!, which means in

German those who get somewhere not by the front door nor by the back, but by the side !. Translated this meant that he, Koch Johannes did not have any formal education directly connected with his scholarly work in Babylonian Astronomy and Astrology. I still do not know his formal education but it should be outside Assyriology and Astronomy. Once I asked him on what he did during WW2. I wanted to know whether he fought in the German army and where? Stalingrad ? Or was he occupation in France ? Or a clerk job in Germany ? There was no answer. Koch was sincere scholar by heart! But woe to these who claim to be scholars, yet who suppress science and hide scientific facts. -Are there such scholars now in 2011 ?!- you may ask with disbelief. I was not less shocked at what followed ! Because, today, 17th of June when I woke up I found a letter from professor Durand !!!

It was like the previous time. I got response by the editors in N.A.B.U. only After I told my small 700+ friends from the star-gazers about what were these editors doing. This time again- as soon as I told you the story about Koch, N.A.B.U. and the Astrolabe, I got answer from the French professor.

His email ran as follows: NABU ... Jean-Marie Durand <jmd1604@gmail.com> From: ... Add to Contacts To: Rumen Kolev <rumen_k_kolev@yahoo.com> Allow me to remind you that all the work on the publication of NABU relies on me, and me alone, and I am the one assuring its regular appearance. NABU in a independant publication. Your behavior is unacceptable. We knew that Dr Koch was ill. You have now received a message from his son. Because of this new situation, there is no sense in publishing your NOTE in the next issue of NABU. jm durand, professor Collge de France.

==========================

Can you believe this ? Because of this new situation, there is no sense in publishing your NOTE in the next issue
of NABU

My article-answer to Koch is being rejected because Koch has passed away ! I thought that Koch and me, were doing this for the whole community of scholars now and for years to come ! For science and research and for the truth ! On what grounds is my answer to Koch rejected when his critique is published ! I remain by my demand: The N.A.B.U. editor, professor Durand, should publish my answer to the second Koch article ! If he publishes critiques on my research, he should publish my response too !
Jean Marie Durand: jean marie.durand@college de france.fr [ Co Editors: Dominique Charpin: charpin@msh paris.fr and Francis Joannes: francis.joannes@mae.u paris10.fr ]

THE PROPHETIC WORDS OF WERNER PAPKE I still remember the prophetic words of the German scholar Werner Papke (known for his book Die Sterne von Babylon). After carefully reading the written variant of the lecture I presented in Melammu VI, Papke wrote to me:
.. Congratulation! It is a break-through, which will surely be contradicted heavily by the establishment, as your revolutionary findings cant be kept secret. .

Kept secret? Can those who call themselves scholars fall and fall and fall to the level of the reptiles when their call by definition is there high in the sky of the Truth!? Can they try to hide my research, my findings on the great age of the Astrolabe? Sure! It was 2008 when Papke read my research and wrote these words. I had some experience even then ! It was already 3 years since I have made the discovery of the great age of the Astrolabe. I knew what Papke meant because for these 3 years I tried and tried and tried to publish my research And what I got was only rejection after rejection ! [Will these professors reviewers (kept in dark by the journals) who wrote the negative reviews will they repeat now in public what they wrote in these reviews in private?! . No! Because they will become laughing stock for generations ! ] Now, you understand why Koch Johannes is like a pure angel when he naively starts to publish a series of articles against the conclusions of my research presented at Melammu VI. Instead of trying everything possible to hide my research as some wanted to do Koch in a way publishes me though in some kind of a freak negative, but still enough to reveal the whole idea of how to date the Astrolabe ! By the path positions of the stars therein. When I am finishing these words, the printing presses of Max Planck in Berlin, Germany are printing with full force the Melammu VI volume from Sofia 2008 with the mathematical proof of the central tenet of the pan Babylonian system: The Great Antiquity of the Mesopotamian Sky Science . Yours in truth forever: The StoryTeller