When a young graduate from the University of Birmingham first entered the British Museum in the 1970s, no one expected that he would become one of the last living translators of a language that fell silent three thousand years ago. For nearly fifty years, Irving Finkel has studied ancient Mesopotamian clay tablets every day, uncovering secrets that have changed our understanding of the ancient world.
The Guardian of Forgotten Words
Finkel’s position at the museum sounds modest—Assistant Keeper. Yet behind this unassuming title lies responsibility for a collection of about 130,000 cuneiform tablets—the world’s largest known repository of documents from a time when humanity was just learning to write down its thoughts.
His path to this extraordinary role led through a PhD in Assyriology, focusing on Babylonian exorcistic spells against demons. Three years spent as a fellow at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago helped him perfect the skill of reading texts that, to most people, look like chaotic marks on clay. In 1976, he returned to England and has remained at his post ever since.
An Ark That Surprised the World
In 2014, Finkel announced a discovery that electrified both the academic community and the public. On one of the tablets, he found a description of a flood strikingly similar to the biblical story of Noah—but with one fundamental difference. The Mesopotamian ark wasn’t a ship, but a giant basket, a round structure made of ropes on a wooden frame.
The tablet contained such precise dimensions and building instructions that a team of researchers decided to reconstruct the ark at a one-third scale. The experiment, documented by PBS in the program Secrets of Noah’s Ark, produced results both fascinating and humorous.
The replica floated on water, but its bitumen sealant immediately began to leak, forcing the team to continually pump out water with a motor pump.
From Demons to Board Games
Finkel’s interests go far beyond ancient religious and magical texts. He is also a recognized historian of board games, serving on the editorial board of the journal Board Game Studies.
His most spectacular achievement in this area was deciphering the rules of the Royal Game of Ur—one of the oldest known board games, dating back about 4,500 years.
This unique combination of skills allows Finkel to move freely between the world of Mesopotamian exorcists and the universal human need for play. As it turns out, the ancient Babylonians were as eager to ward off demons as they were to throw dice on a game board. For someone who has spent decades translating their words, it is this very diversity that brings the past to life.
Autor
Rory Thornfield
Rory's grandfather left behind a wartime diary filled with accounts of a minor Burma skirmish that history books never mentioned. Reading it, Rory realized: behind every famous battle are dozens of forgotten struggles, each with its own human drama.
His preferred topics: The overlooked corners of military history – secondary campaigns, shadow battalions, local conflicts that never made headlines. From medieval sieges to twentieth-century expeditions, he focuses on the soldiers, not the generals. The people who faced impossible choices and carried those experiences forever.
Rory strips away the romanticism without losing respect for those who served. He combines tactical analysis with personal stories, examining human endurance and moral complexity rather than celebrating warfare. His writing is balanced, thoughtful, and deeply researched.
Outside work, Rory visits forgotten battlefields (now quiet farmland), photographs war memorials nobody tends anymore, and interviews veterans' families.