Deciphering Secrets of Ancient Civilizations, Noah’s Ark, and Flood Myths

Summary

Irving Finkel is a scholar of ancient languages and longtime curator at the British Museum, renowned for his expertise in Mesopotamian history and cuneiform writing. He specializes in reading and interpreting cuneiform inscriptions from Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian contexts. Irving became widely known for studying a tablet containing a Mesopotamian flood story that predates the biblical Noah narrative, which he presented in his book “The Ark Before Noah” and in a documentary involving the construction of a circular ark based on the tablet’s technical instructions.

In this engaging conversation, Irving shares his infectious enthusiasm for ancient history, discussing the origins of writing around 3500 BC, the complexities of deciphering cuneiform script, and how ancient civilizations recorded everything from business transactions to epic literature. He explores ancient beliefs about gods and ghosts, controversial theories about Göbekli Tepe, the Royal Game of Ur (one of the oldest board games), and the evolution of human civilization. The discussion reveals how much we can learn from clay tablets that survived for thousands of years.

Key Points

Origins of Human Language (0:58) - Discussion of how human language developed
Cuneiform Writing (7:04) - The ancient writing system of Mesopotamia and its invention around 3500 BC
Göbekli Tepe Theory (14:17) - Controversial theories about this ancient archaeological site
Writing and Speaking Cuneiform (25:29) - How cuneiform was written and what languages it recorded
Primitive Human Language (30:48) - Early forms of human communication
Development of Writing Systems (32:31) - How writing evolved from pictures to abstract symbols
Decipherment of Cuneiform (33:25) - The process of rediscovering how to read ancient texts
Limits of Language (45:57) - What can and cannot be expressed through writing
Art of Translation (50:56) - Challenges in translating ancient languages
Gods (56:06) - Ancient Mesopotamian beliefs about deities
Ghosts (1:01:31) - Ancient beliefs about spirits and the afterlife
Ancient Flood Stories (1:11:19) - Flood myths from various ancient civilizations
Noah’s Ark (1:21:26) - The Mesopotamian flood tablet that predates the Biblical account
Royal Game of Ur (1:32:49) - One of the oldest known board games from ancient Mesopotamia
British Museum (1:45:48) - Irving’s work as a curator and the museum’s collections
Evolution of Human Civilization (1:53:13) - How human societies developed over millennia

Mentions

People

Irving Finkel - British Museum curator and cuneiform expert
Archimedes - Ancient Greek mathematician mentioned in context of early mathematical thinking
Aristotle - Ancient Greek philosopher referenced regarding concepts of infinity and logic

Places

British Museum (1:45:48) - One of the world’s greatest museums, Irving’s workplace for 45+ years
Mesopotamia (7:04) - Ancient region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, cradle of civilization
Göbekli Tepe (14:17) - Ancient archaeological site in Turkey

Artifacts

Flood Tablet (1:21:26) - Ancient Mesopotamian tablet describing the ark and flood
Royal Game of Ur (1:32:49) - Ancient board game, one of oldest known games

Languages

Cuneiform (7:04) - Wedge-shaped writing system used in ancient Mesopotamia
Sumerian (25:29) - Ancient language of southern Mesopotamia
Akkadian (25:29) - Ancient Semitic language
Babylonian (25:29) - Dialect of Akkadian used in Babylon

Surprising Quotes

“The first attempts at writing that we could call writing appeared around 3500 BC. People had clay as their operating material and developed the idea that you could record information on a surface that another person could read.” — Irving Finkel, 7:04

“They made up signs which everybody understood - foot is a foot, leg is a leg, and barley is barley. Then very quickly they had the idea that pictures could also represent sounds. That’s the crucial thing.” — Irving Finkel, 7:04

“The flood story on the tablet predates the Biblical Noah narrative, showing these myths had ancient Mesopotamian origins.” — Irving Finkel, 1:21:26

Deciphering Secrets of Ancient Civilizations, Noah's Ark, and Flood Myths