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The First Ghosts: Most Ancient of Legacies

The First Ghosts: Most Ancient of Legacies

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-08-29 06:51:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Irving Finkel
  • ISBN：152930329X
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Summary

'It's enthralling stuff， mixing the scholarly with the accessible and placing storytelling right at the heart of the human experience。' - History Revealed

'A fascinating journey' - Yorkshire Post

'Marvellous。。。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 Scotsman

There 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？

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Reviews

Dan McCollum ，

I first became aware of Irving Finkel a few years back through the British Museum's spectacular YouTube series。 Although I've watched several of his lectures since that time， I'm afraid this is the first of his books which I've read - a sad mistake on my part that I shall soon rectify。"The First Ghosts" is a deeply informative look at an important aspect of Mesopotamiam civilization。 It examines the the way in which people might interact （willingly or not） with the ghosts of the dead and the imp I first became aware of Irving Finkel a few years back through the British Museum's spectacular YouTube series。 Although I've watched several of his lectures since that time， I'm afraid this is the first of his books which I've read - a sad mistake on my part that I shall soon rectify。"The First Ghosts" is a deeply informative look at an important aspect of Mesopotamiam civilization。 It examines the the way in which people might interact （willingly or not） with the ghosts of the dead and the impact that this had on their lives。 It also explores those professionals who were called upon to deal with ghosts on a regular basis， as well as looks at views on the netherworld。And did I mention that it's fun？ Finkle is one of those rare academics （and I write this as an academic myself; though one who is a novice in this field） who can write deeply informative prose while still having a sense of humor。 His writing seems to embody that very British quality that is oft times called 'glibbness。' More than once I found myself sending snippets which I （at least） found to be funny and interesting at the same time。This is an amazing work and I can't suggest it enough for those interested in Mesopotamia， the History of Magic and， of course， ghosts。 。。。more

Kate Innes ，

Fascinating， mind blowing， erudite and wry， I both enjoyed this and found that it has changed my view of life， as only the very best books do。 Very detailed， which occasionally became a bit confusing， but not really one to read in bed （as I did）， better to savour it at the desk or kitchen table， whilst considering how much and how little has changed over 4000 years。

Jane ，

Very interesting and a book I will re-read and treasure。 However， it assumes the reader knows the who， when and where of the ancient societies discussed。 Perhaps this would have made the book too large， but I am honestly still puzzled by what everyday life looked like in order to put into context the society's death-related beliefs。 If prior knowledge was required， it should have been made clear somewhere on the back or intro。So， in summary: very good， but I'll have to read other books in order Very interesting and a book I will re-read and treasure。 However， it assumes the reader knows the who， when and where of the ancient societies discussed。 Perhaps this would have made the book too large， but I am honestly still puzzled by what everyday life looked like in order to put into context the society's death-related beliefs。 If prior knowledge was required， it should have been made clear somewhere on the back or intro。So， in summary: very good， but I'll have to read other books in order to understand this one。 I recognise that my complaint will be infuriating for historians， shouting ， "Yes， idiot！ You think we can sum up multiple civilisations in a single book？？！" Well no， I don't。 But the marketing team is going to need to do a better job。Anyway， I'm off to see if Prof （？） Finkel has written other things that may enlighten me on these subjects。 。。。more

Klara ，

Irving Finkle is always a delight， but then again I will watch his lectures anytime so I’m biased。 With chapters titled things like “The Delicate Art of Necromancy” and anything Gilgamesh it can’t go wrong for me though。 His narration is also great， and the other two voice actors reading the quotes from the tablets was good。 The one reservation I have is that it’s a lot to take in， and since I listen to audiobooks while doing chores and stuff I sometimes lost track of what was being said， in par Irving Finkle is always a delight， but then again I will watch his lectures anytime so I’m biased。 With chapters titled things like “The Delicate Art of Necromancy” and anything Gilgamesh it can’t go wrong for me though。 His narration is also great， and the other two voice actors reading the quotes from the tablets was good。 The one reservation I have is that it’s a lot to take in， and since I listen to audiobooks while doing chores and stuff I sometimes lost track of what was being said， in particular for the earlier chapters listing spells and divinations。 Also， I sometimes lost track when the cuneiform tablets was quoted and there were parts missing from the tablets and that might be easier to read instead of listening to？ But that is mostly on me and I think I will enjoy listening to it again in the future。 。。。more

Sam Hicks ，

'。。。human ideas， brought out of the ground dressed in cuneiform to have life breathed into them。。。'; '。。。the conviction that some part of a human being triumphs over annihilation by death is intrinsic to the species。。。' Missives from a world where ghosts jostled for space with the living。 Great stuff。 '。。。human ideas， brought out of the ground dressed in cuneiform to have life breathed into them。。。'; '。。。the conviction that some part of a human being triumphs over annihilation by death is intrinsic to the species。。。' Missives from a world where ghosts jostled for space with the living。 Great stuff。 。。。more

Sam Kamoona ，

Very interesting history of ghost never being told before。 The oldest written record of ghosts and sfter life that sheds light on humanity understanding of life and death。

Daphne ，

A good introduction to cuneiform texts talking about ghosts， demons and the dead。 Would have been much better without as many assumptions as the author permitted himself。

Catarina PB ，

The amount of knowledge and research going into this book is absolutely amazing！Not an easy read considering the context and the knowledge most people have of ancient Mesopotamia， however， I liked that Prof。 Irving made sure to include details of the daily daily of the common people and what their beliefs and fears might be， as well as the solution to their problems regarding the subject that until today no one has ever been able to prove or disprove… are ghosts/spirits real or not？For sure， the The amount of knowledge and research going into this book is absolutely amazing！Not an easy read considering the context and the knowledge most people have of ancient Mesopotamia， however， I liked that Prof。 Irving made sure to include details of the daily daily of the common people and what their beliefs and fears might be， as well as the solution to their problems regarding the subject that until today no one has ever been able to prove or disprove… are ghosts/spirits real or not？For sure， the answer to this question doesn’t matter at all， but it was interesting to see that humans have evolved little in terms of facing the unknown。The same worries people had， we have them too， even though we express and present them in different ways。I liked particularly when Prof。 Irving included bits of history and legend！ 。。。more

Todd Howell ，

An enjoyable reading， very educational and laid out well。Wish there had been more of the content from different regions。Worth a read。

Jack Bates ，

An exploration of the existence of ghosts in ancient Mesopotamia。 I know， right， quite niche。 Anyway， one of the best things about writing， is when you write stuff down， especially in a fairly stable way， such as， for example， on millions of clay tablets， chances are people will be able to read it in thousands of years。 The Assyrians were well into writing stuff down。 They wrote lists and accounts and invoices。 They wrote recipes and historical treatises and copied things from Sumerian， an even An exploration of the existence of ghosts in ancient Mesopotamia。 I know， right， quite niche。 Anyway， one of the best things about writing， is when you write stuff down， especially in a fairly stable way， such as， for example， on millions of clay tablets， chances are people will be able to read it in thousands of years。 The Assyrians were well into writing stuff down。 They wrote lists and accounts and invoices。 They wrote recipes and historical treatises and copied things from Sumerian， an even older language。 The Bitish Museum is （imagine！） packed with cuneiform notes about pretty much everything， including methods of dealing with ghosts， whether you want them to go away and leave you alone or give you some tips about the future。 This is all very fascinating and Finkel assembles his arguments and explanations in a reasonably chatty， accessible way。 I think the main thrust of his theory is that ghosts were entirely standard normal things to the Assyrians， no one questioned whether or not they existed， and he wonders if this is in fact the natural state for humanity - that a belief that those who die might return， for various reasons， is essentially wired in to our brains。 There's some very interesting stuff about the removal of mentions of ghosts from the Bible through repeated translations， and all in all， if you're interested in belief systems， or writing， or the history of the middle east， it's well worth a read。 Now I'm off to YouTube to see if I can hear someone （possible Dr Finkel himself） actually reading the language aloud。 。。。more

Megan ，

By the time humans learned how to write， the belief in ghosts was so well-established that advice on dealing with ghosts is a rather common occurrence in ancient Sumerian texts。 I know burial rites and grave goods appeared even with Neanderthals， but it never occurred to me before seeing this book to consider when beliefs in *ghosts* began。 Obviously， I had to read it to learn more。Apparently， the people of Sumer not only believed in ghosts but believed they were troublesome， and they created li By the time humans learned how to write， the belief in ghosts was so well-established that advice on dealing with ghosts is a rather common occurrence in ancient Sumerian texts。 I know burial rites and grave goods appeared even with Neanderthals， but it never occurred to me before seeing this book to consider when beliefs in *ghosts* began。 Obviously， I had to read it to learn more。Apparently， the people of Sumer not only believed in ghosts but believed they were troublesome， and they created little catalogs of how to identify which type of ghost， each type having its own method of redress。 Ghosts could be helpful， too， but generally in those situations they were called up for a specific purpose， consulted， and then dismissed back to the underworld。 （Fun fact: the “witch” of Endor who appears in the Bible was really one of these ghost whisperers and had nothing to do with eyes of toad and skin of newt… All those women in 16th century Europe， killed over a mistranslation。 Smh。）If you are interested in ghosts and anthropology， this is a good book to pick up。Bonus material:One of the most surprising parts of the book for me was when the author explains that families generally buried their dead *in the house*， under the dirt floor。 I had a hard time sleeping without a nightlight when I was small。 Having relatives interred feet below you is unfathomable to me。 （I am a product of my time， when the dead are carted away from society in ghettoes we call cemeteries。） It’s a little surprising ghosts weren’t absolutely everywhere。 。。。more

Artur Coelho ，

Um mergulho profundo na longevidade das tradições ligadas à morte， que nos leva aos tempos por demasiado tempo esquecidos da Suméria e Assíria。 A descoberta， a partir do século XIX， dos vestígios escritos por entre as ruínas que polvilham os países que hoje ficam nos territórios do antigo crescente fértil， revelou-nos civilizações， mas mais do que isso， um profundo humanismo。 Os milhares de tabuinhas de barro com inscrições em cuneiforme são na larga maioria dos casos meros documentos administra Um mergulho profundo na longevidade das tradições ligadas à morte， que nos leva aos tempos por demasiado tempo esquecidos da Suméria e Assíria。 A descoberta， a partir do século XIX， dos vestígios escritos por entre as ruínas que polvilham os países que hoje ficam nos territórios do antigo crescente fértil， revelou-nos civilizações， mas mais do que isso， um profundo humanismo。 Os milhares de tabuinhas de barro com inscrições em cuneiforme são na larga maioria dos casos meros documentos administrativos， mas só isso já nos dá uma profunda apreciação daqueles seres humanos que， há milénios， viveram e reclamaram contra clientes e fornecedores。 Saber que um dos textos mais fascinantes da humanidade， o Épico de Gilgamesh， esteve perdido durante milénios （embora tenha deixado algumas marcas na mitologia bíblica）， e que está continuamente a ser reconstituído através dos fragmentos cuneiformes que vão sendo descobertos e decifrados， é assombroso。 Especialmente ao perceber que os vestígios desse texto - e， como o livro nos mostra， de outras lendas， mitos e histórias， nos chegaram através de auxiliares didáticos。 Numa sociedade onde só uns poucos liam e escreviam， a literatura servia para suavizar o ato de aprender a ler e escrever。 Finkel， um dos maiores especialistas nas línguas e cultura assíria e suméria （entre outras vertentes， é especialista nos jogos que divertiam estes nossos muito longínquos antepassados）， leva-nos numa viagem de descoberta das tradições e mitos sobre os espíritos。 É um mergulho no passado profundo。 As visões antigas sobre a morte， o espírito， o destino após a morte são dissecadas em várias vertentes。 Se o mito， recordado pelos textos literários ou mitos de divindades， é um dos pilares， o outro pilar são os registos e lista de hábitos e costumes， especialmente das artes divinatórias e exorcistas。A crença em fantasmas e espíritos atravessa milénios e culturas， como Finkel bem demonstra。 Mesmo que as concepções de vida e de pós-morte sejam profundamente diferentes。 Os sumérios não tinham o conceito de infernos， essa delirante invenção da mitologia judaico-cristã para assustar as mentes incautas， mas a vida defunta nos seus submundos dependia muito do respeito dos vivos， da forma como estes honravam a memória dos seus mortos。 Algo que é tão profundamente humano que nos liga à mais remota antiguidade e os grupos de hominídeos que nos antecederam。 E sim， os antigos sumérios e assírios também tinham de lidar com fantasmagorias e aparições， embora não os temessem， os vissem mais como irritações no dia a dia。 A partir do fascínio pela ideia dos espíritos e fantasmas， Irving Finkel traz-nos a sua imensa erudição sobre a vida de culturas há muito extintas， quase esquecidas， soterradas pela poeira dos desertos do médio oriente。 。。。more

Angela ，

Just the right blend of entertaining informativeness for my non academic self。 Also liked the narrator's voice with his pleasant light dry British accent。 That voice helped make this book a good choice before sleep as he could soothe me gently into it。 It was a bonus to realize that this narrator was actually the author of the book。 Makes me think he'd be an interesting lecturer。 Though maybe not if If I'm already sleepy。 Just the right blend of entertaining informativeness for my non academic self。 Also liked the narrator's voice with his pleasant light dry British accent。 That voice helped make this book a good choice before sleep as he could soothe me gently into it。 It was a bonus to realize that this narrator was actually the author of the book。 Makes me think he'd be an interesting lecturer。 Though maybe not if If I'm already sleepy。 。。。more

Kevin Fraleigh ，

Wonderfully readable， scholarly， and even humorous。 Finkel provides a much needed reminder that our ancestors--like five to seven millennia ago--weren't crude and ignorant savages， but had sophisticated cultures and belief systems that provided many of the seed beliefs for Judeo-Christian religious traditions。 Well worth the read， and you don't need to interpret cuneiform to enjoy it！ Wonderfully readable， scholarly， and even humorous。 Finkel provides a much needed reminder that our ancestors--like five to seven millennia ago--weren't crude and ignorant savages， but had sophisticated cultures and belief systems that provided many of the seed beliefs for Judeo-Christian religious traditions。 Well worth the read， and you don't need to interpret cuneiform to enjoy it！ 。。。more

Maitreyi Sanadhya ，

I'm currently writing a paper on the discrepancy between Mesopotamian Bronze Age grave goods and the literary depiction of the afterlife， and this book was very informative as a starting point。 The geographical exploration of Sumerian vs Akkadian afterlife was unique and was even mapped out。 Irving Finkel's take on an omen text's relation to Ishtar's descent into the netherworld was also incredible， although I wish the Akkadian was expounded upon so we could see what manipulation was involved wh I'm currently writing a paper on the discrepancy between Mesopotamian Bronze Age grave goods and the literary depiction of the afterlife， and this book was very informative as a starting point。 The geographical exploration of Sumerian vs Akkadian afterlife was unique and was even mapped out。 Irving Finkel's take on an omen text's relation to Ishtar's descent into the netherworld was also incredible， although I wish the Akkadian was expounded upon so we could see what manipulation was involved when reinterpreting the omen。 Very cool！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The First Ghosts: Most Ancient of Legacies

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The First Ghosts: Most Ancient of Legacies&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The First Ghosts: Most Ancient of Legacies&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0