IRVING FINKEL

THE ARK BEFORE NOAH Decoding the Story of the Flood by Dr Irving Finkel is a compelling investigation of one of the most famous myths in the world and how the re discovery of an ancient tablet challenges our view of ancient history in a new and exciting way

Les véritables origines de l’histoire du DélugeTout le monde connaît l’histoire de l’Arche de Noé et du Déluge telle qu’elle est racontée dans la Genèse. Depuis les années 1870, on sait qu’une autre

La Bibliothèque des Refusés est un établissement des plus singuliers : elle recueille – plus encore, elle sauvegarde – tout texte ayant essuyé refus sur refus de la part des éditeurs. Littérature, po

Its enthralling stuff, mixing the scholarly with the accessible and placing storytelling right at the heart of the human experience. - History RevealedA fascinating journey - Yorkshire PostMarvellous...Finkel is an expert in Mesopotamian cultures at the British Museum, and is one of the most clever, and nicest, of people it has ever been my pleasure to encounter...A fascinating journey - The ScotsmanThere are few things more in common across cultures than the belief in ghosts. Ghosts inhabit something of the very essence of what it is to be human. Whether we personally believe or not, we are all aware of ghosts and the rich mythologies and rituals surrounding them. They have inspired, fascinated and frightened us for centuries - yet most of us are only familiar with the vengeful apparitions of Shakespeare, or the ghastly spectres haunting the pages of 19th century gothic literature. But their origins are much, much older...The First Ghosts: Most Ancient of Legacies takes us back to the very beginning. A world-renowned authority on cuneiform, the form of writing on clay tablets which dates back to 3400BC, Irving Finkel has embarked upon an ancient ghost hunt, scouring these tablets to unlock the secrets of the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians to breathe new life into the first ghost stories ever written. In The First Ghosts, he uncovers an extraordinarily rich seam of ancient spirit wisdom which has remained hidden for nearly 4000 years, covering practical details of how to live with ghosts, how to get rid of them and bring them back, and how to avoid becoming one, as well as exploring more philosophical questions: what are ghosts, why does the idea of them remain so powerful despite the lack of concrete evidence, and what do they tell us about being human?

A unique and accessible insight into the world s oldest writing system revealing how ancient inscriptions lead to a new way of thinking about the past

In THE ARK BEFORE NOAH, British Museum expert Dr Irving Finkel reveals how decoding the symbols on a 4,000 year old piece of clay enable a radical new interpretation of the Noahs Ark myth. A world authority on the period, Dr Finkels enthralling real-life detective story began with a most remarkable event at the British Museum - the arrival one day in 2008 of a single, modest-sized Babylonian cuneiform tablet - the palm-sized clay rectangles on which our ancestors created the first documents. It had been brought in by a member of the public and this particular tablet proved to be of quite extraordinary importance. Not only does it date from about 1850 BC, but it is a copy of the Babylonian Story of the Flood, a myth from ancient Mesopotamia revealing among other things, instructions for building a large boat to survive a flood. But Dr Finkels pioneering work didnt stop there. Through another series of enthralling discoveries he has been able to decode the story of the Flood in ways which offer unanticipated revelations to readers of THE ARK BEFORE NOAH.