Lex Fridman Podcast
Irving Finkel is a scholar of ancient languages and a longtime curator at the British Museum, renowned for his expertise in Mesopotamian history and cuneiform writing. He specializes in reading and interpreting cuneiform inscriptions, including tablets from Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian contexts. He became widely known for studying a tablet with a Mesopotamian flood story that predates the biblical Noah narrative, which he presented in his book “The Ark Before Noah” and in a documentary that involved building a circular ark based on the tablet’s technical instructions.
Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep487-sc
See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.
Transcript:
https://lexfridman.com/irving-finkel-transcript
CONTACT LEX:
Feedback – give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey
AMA – submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama
Hiring – join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring
Other – other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact
EPISODE LINKS:
Irving’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drirvingfinkel/
The Ark Before Noah (book): https://amzn.to/4j2U0DW
Irving Lectures Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYXwZvOwHjVcFUi9iEqirkXRaCUJdXGha
British Museum Video Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0LQM0SAx603A6p5EJ9DVcESqQReT7QyK
British Museum Website: https://www.britishmuseum.org/
The Great Diary Project: https://thegreatdiaryproject.co.uk/
SPONSORS:
To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts:
Shopify: Sell stuff online.
Go to https://shopify.com/lex
Miro: Online collaborative whiteboard platform.
Go to https://miro.com/
Chevron: Reliable energy for data centers.
Go to https://chevron.com/power
LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix.
Go to https://drinkLMNT.com/lex
AG1: All-in-one daily nutrition drink.
Go to https://drinkag1.com/lex
OUTLINE:
(00:00) – Introduction
(00:43) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections
(09:53) – Origins of human language
(15:59) – Cuneiform
(23:12) – Controversial theory about Göbekli Tepe
(34:23) – How to write and speak Cuneiform
(39:42) – Primitive human language
(41:26) – Development of writing systems
(42:20) – Decipherment of Cuneiform
(54:51) – Limits of language
(59:51) – Art of translation
(1:05:01) – Gods
(1:10:25) – Ghosts
(1:20:13) – Ancient flood stories
(1:30:21) – Noah’s Ark
(1:41:44) – The Royal Game of Ur
(1:54:43) – British Museum
(2:02:08) – Evolution of human civilization
#437 – Jordan Jonas: Survival, Hunting, Siberia, God, and Winning Alone Season 6
Jordan Jonas is a wilderness survival expert, explorer, hunter, guide, and winner of Alone Season 6, a show in which the task is to survive alone in the arctic wilderness longer than anyone else. He…
#436 – Ivanka Trump: Politics, Family, Real Estate, Fashion, Music, and Life
Ivanka Trump is a businesswoman, real estate developer, and former senior advisor to the President of the United States. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Cloaked: https://cloaked.com/lex and use code LexPod…
#435 – Andrew Huberman: Focus, Controversy, Politics, and Relationships
Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist at Stanford and host of the Huberman Lab Podcast. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/lex to get $350 off – LMNT: https://drinkLMNT.com/lex to…
#434 – Aravind Srinivas: Perplexity CEO on Future of AI, Search & the Internet
Arvind Srinivas is CEO of Perplexity, a company that aims to revolutionize how we humans find answers to questions on the Internet. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Cloaked: https://cloaked.com/lex and…
#433 – Sara Walker: Physics of Life, Time, Complexity, and Aliens
Sara Walker is an astrobiologist and theoretical physicist. She is the author of a new book titled “Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life’s Emergence”. Please support this podcast by checking out…
#432 – Kevin Spacey: Power, Controversy, Betrayal, Truth & Love in Film and Life
Kevin Spacey is a two-time Oscar-winning actor, who starred in Se7en, the Usual Suspects, American Beauty, and House of Cards, creating haunting performances of characters who often embody the dark side of human nature. Please…
#431 – Roman Yampolskiy: Dangers of Superintelligent AI
Roman Yampolskiy is an AI safety researcher and author of a new book titled AI: Unexplainable, Unpredictable, Uncontrollable. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Yahoo Finance: https://yahoofinance.com – MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/lexpod to…
#430 – Charan Ranganath: Human Memory, Imagination, Deja Vu, and False Memories
Charan Ranganath is a psychologist and neuroscientist at UC Davis, specializing in human memory. He is the author of a new book titled Why We Remember. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:…
#429 – Paul Rosolie: Jungle, Apex Predators, Aliens, Uncontacted Tribes, and God
Paul Rosolie is a naturalist, explorer, author, and founder of Junglekeepers, dedicating his life to protecting the Amazon rainforest. Support his efforts at https://junglekeepers.org Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – ShipStation:…
#428 – Sean Carroll: General Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, Black Holes & Aliens
Sean Carroll is a theoretical physicist, author, and host of Mindscape podcast. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – HiddenLayer: https://hiddenlayer.com/lex – Cloaked: https://cloaked.com/lex and use code LexPod to get 25% off…