#119 - The First Ghosts with Dr. Irving Finkel

Summary

Explore the ancient concept of ghosts as Dr. Irving Finkel, a leading Assyriologist, delves into Sumerian, Assyrian, and Babylonian necromancy. Learn how these ancient cultures believed they could communicate with the dead and the practices used to send spirits to the underworld or bring them back. Finkel shares insights from his book 'The First Ghosts' and addresses listener questions on this intriguing topic.

Key takeaways

• 1Dr. Irving Finkel: An internationally-acclaimed Assyriologist known for his work on ancient Mesopotamian texts.
• 2'The First Ghosts': Finkel's book that discusses the earliest written accounts of ghosts in Mesopotamia.
• 3Necromancy in ancient cultures: Practices for sending departed spirits to the underworld or reviving them.
• 4Sumerian, Assyrian, and Babylonian beliefs: Concepts surrounding the afterlife and interactions with the dead.

Glossary terms

Source

Transcript excerpt

When you talk about ghosts and demons and things that go bump in the night, you lump them all together. But from the point of view of a real live exorcist who was helping people who were ill and affected and miserable, this was bread and butter distinction never to be forgotten. Salutations listeners and welcome back to Glitch Bottle, the podcast where we uncork the uncommon in magic, mysticism and the generally misunderstood. I'm Alexander Eth and today we are so honored to chat about the first ghosts with internationally known Assyriologist Dr. Irving Finkel. Were the first ghosts ever recorded in ancient Mesopotamia by the Sumerians, the Assyrians and the Babylonians nearly 4,000 years ago? How did ancient peoples live with ghosts? What were the ritualistic procedures to help ghosts transition to the underworld? And how did necromancers deal with these troublesome spirits? Well, there's no one better to ask than Dr. Irving Finkel. Dr. Finkel is a world-renowned Assyriologist and is currently the assistant keeper of ancient Mesopotamian script, languages and cultures in the Department of the Middle East in the British Museum where he specializes in cuneiform inscriptions on tablets of clay from ancient Mesopotamia. Dr. Finkel is so influential and is known for so many things, including the discovery and translation of an ancient tablet with a pre-Noah's Ark Great Flood narrative suggesting a coracle-shaped ark. Dr. Finkel also has reconstructed the rules of an ancient board game played in Mesopotamia called the Royal Game of Ur, among so many other accomplishments. Dr. Finkel's latest tome is The First Ghosts, Most Ancient of Legacies, and it is such an insightful and a captivating read. ...

Excerpt from Glitch Bottle, Oct 26, 2022. Rights remain with the original creators. Hear the full episode at the source.