Discover the fascinating world of cuneiform, one of the earliest writing systems in human history. Developed by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia over 5,000 years ago, cuneiform was used to record laws, trade, literature, and more....

A video entitled "Cuneiform" introduces students to the history, evolution, methods for writing, and the lasting influence of Sumerian cuneiform.

A brief look into a new book that will bring insight into the world's oldest writing system by authors Irving Finkel and Jonathan Taylor, curators of the world's largest collection of cuneiform tablets at the British Museum. Cunieform by...

The Tigris River drying up has revealed some amazing discoveries! As the water receded, it uncovered ancient cities and artifacts that were hidden for centuries. Archeologists found old structures, pottery, and even cuneiform tablets...

The Islamic State is demolishing Mesopotamian history. The reason this hurts us so much has something to do with Cuneiform. A quick back-story of the peoples crushed beneath ISIS efforts to wipe out the first civilizations to speak on...

We're going way back for this one, before Classical History, before the Iron Age, all the way back to the Bronze Age! Talkin' about the First Babylonian Empire, and how Hammurabi made it the greatest empire Mesopotamia had ever seen, and...

It all started with a fairly normal event for a museum: a member of the public bringing in an old family heirloom. However the heirloom – a cuneiform tablet from around 1750 BC – proved to be one in a million. Dr Irving Finkel, Deputy...

Comedy existed long before Saturday Night Live and Netflix specials. In fact, the world’s oldest joke can be traced all the way back to 1900 BC (1900 BC). Thanks to a UK study led by humor expert Dr. Paul McDonald, we now know that...

Ashmolean curators speak about magical and mystical objects from the museum's collections. The film made for our Magic Museums at Night event in 2013. Introduction to Elias Ashmole - Harry Phythian-Adams Cuneiform tablet - Dr Paul...

Ever wanted to know how to summon an ancient Mesopotamian ghost? Curator Irving Finkel can show you how by revealing his favourite magic ritual from over 2,700 years ago. You can find this cuneiform tablet featuring necromancy on the...

YouTuber Tom Scott has flown drones through lightning, he’s taken on the first human-powered theme park, he’s even visited Penistone. But he’s never taken on a British Museum curator in the world’s oldest playable board game… UNTIL NOW!...

Comedy existed long before Saturday Night Live and Netflix specials. In fact, the world’s oldest joke can be traced all the way back to 1900 BC (1900 BC). Thanks to a UK study led by humor expert Dr. Paul McDonald, we now know that...

Comedy existed long before Saturday Night Live and Netflix specials. In fact, the world’s oldest joke can be traced all the way back to 1900 BC. Thanks to a UK study led by humor expert Dr. Paul McDonald, we now know that humans have...

How did the ancient civilization of Sumer first develop the concept of the written word? It all began with simple warehouse tallies in the temples, but as the scribes sought more simple ways to record information, those tallies gradually...

Irving Finkel has possibly the coolest job in the world – he’s curator of cuneiform at the British Museum! Since 1979 he’s been trawling the Museum’s 130,000 clay tablets for clues about life in ancient Mesopotamia. In this film, he...

As the name suggests, the Hebrew Bible is written, mostly, in Hebrew. But what is the earliest history of this language? What language did the ancient Israelites speak? This episode examines the origins of Hebrew and its relationship...

Continuing with the Indo-European world, it's time to check out the Persian empires, of which there were several. The ones we will examine here are the Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sasanian empires, which rose and fell as regions were lost...