Cracking Ancient Codes: Cuneiform Writing - with Irving Finkel

Writing is generally agreed to be among the greatest inventions in human history, perhaps the greatest invention, since it made history possible.
Subscribe for regular science videos: bit.ly/RiSubscRibe
You can read more about Irving's quest to explore the Noah's Ark myth in "The Ark Before Noah: Decoding the Story of the Flood": geni.us/zU95bVO
or learn more about cuneiform writing in "Cuneiform": geni.us/eMPb
Writing seems to have been invented in the late fourth millennium BC in Mesopotamia in the form of wedge-shaped marks pressed into soft clay with a reed stylus: the script known as cuneiform. Through his work on this ancient language, Irving Finkel, has uncovered amazing secrets from over five thousand years ago, including the story behind Noah’s ark.
Irving Finkel is the curator in charge of cuneiform inscriptions on tablets of clay from ancient Mesopotamia at the British Museum, of which the Middle East Department has the largest collection of any modern museum. This work involves reading and translating all sorts of inscriptions, sometimes working on ancient archives to identify manuscripts that belong together, or even join to one another. He is the author of The Ark Before Noah: Decoding the Story of the Flood.
This talk was filmed in the Ri on 18 January 2019.
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[@TheRoyalInstitution]

If you liked this talk then there's more Irving on the internet! Check out the British Museum's channel, we really liked this video on ancient demons - kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIC3aGh9d5tnftk

[@andrewxc1335]

Dr. Finkel did a video with Tom Scott on learning how to write using Cuneiform, and mentioned that there is a library of tablets that have yet to be translated. I am curious whether there is an initiative to put them online, and have people crowdsource either translations or merely the words, so that experts can spend their time on higher-level problems.

[@brittonkimler2229]

If ever there was a human being who needs a "channel" for his mental output, it is Dr. Finkel. He has such a wonderfully inquisitive mind, and I for one, would love to hear him in a "podcast" or conversational format. I'd especially love to hear him in interdisciplinary conversation with experts from entirely different fields. I feel he has the right sort of curious and whimsical (and sufficiently mischievous) mind to stoke great conversation, and maybe ask some new and novel questions. (Maybe RI has some such resource at their disposal. Thanks for this lecture regardless)

[@FGBFGB-vt7tc]

Mr. Finkel is a treasure: well-versed in his area of knowledge, have an inquisitive mind and is funny as hell which lets him keep his audience's attention and interest for an inordinate amount of time. Hope to see more of him soon!.

[@ziomalisty]

This Dumbledore guy is amazing! Smart and funny!

[@Jablicek]

@@MrEiht While many of us love to visit a museum and see all the Things on occasion we are unable, for many reasons. Geography being one of them.

[@brianweaver327]

The internet humbly requests more Irving Finkel.

[@rexcorvorum4262]

Personally I would say desperately

[@sagebias2251]

Amen

[@alienopurdeus]

Another great mind. I love his work as well

[@alienopurdeus]

Sobatyo Emick

[@Beccaboo530]

Go to the British museum KZbin channel! 😆 they have some amazing content with him. I LOVE his videos. Definitely watch his “curators corner”. 🤗😉 and also there is one where he plays the Sumerian board game. His personality alone is binge worthy.

[@thaqafi]

This man looks exactly like how I imagine a man who cracks ancient codes would look like

[@MasterWatchmaker]

It wasn't a code

[@robertjankovic8467]

Like a Wizard

[@schloops8473]

@@MasterWatchmaker I so wanted to be the one posting that XD

[@davehoward22]

Looks like a man who flies a sleigh at christmas

[@Ballin4Vengeance]

You clearly should concentrate on his speech instead of his appearance, which although trully captivating, led you astray from the point of the presentation, which itself has at the very start stated that cuneiform is not a code. Professor is angry

[@Macrogue65]

This man is fantastic. Engaging, precise, full of humour - a superb presentation.

[@Mauromoustakos]

I can recognize a great scholar when I see him, Or, her.

[@RBYW1234]

✡🔶🐢

[@fireangel6038]

Best lecture I’ve seen in a while. I openly laughed in a empty room by myself and learned at the same time. Please bring this man back for more.

[@VendettaMax]

21:07 "So, the interesting thing is... I won't dwell on this melodramatic matter in case sensitive people feel faint, but when you start learning Sumerian, the business of leaping off a high building head-first onto the concrete is massively appealing on a daily basis". HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[@JTA1961]

I've never wanted to put 10 thumbs up before that. (grew up in Japan wi 5000 Kanji )

[@ClariceAust]

@@JTA1961 Yes, I immediately saw the parallel with the uses of the Chinese Kanji pictograms mixed with the Japanese syllabary Hiragana and Katagana representations, and the Sumerian pictograms and Babylonian/Assyrian (albeit, polyvalent), syllabary. (Now, if I got all of that right then my mind really has had a bit of a work out tonight.)

[@budd2nd]

Joel Atteberry 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 There you go 10 thumbs up. 😃

[@archeofutura_4606]

@@JTA1961 yeah lol as he was explaining that I got flashbacks to learning the radicals and on/kun readings of kanji. I only learned 200 max but it still gave me a splitting headache

[@ryPish]

"The shift from pictographic use to writing sounds was the only real giant leap man has ever made apart from the development of the Electric Guitar." ― _Irving Finkel, intellectual, prophet, sage and rockstar_

[@johnmatheson2760]

Finkel is obviously intelligent. I had also concluded that the best invention of the last millennium was the Fender Stratocaster, which I have played for 45 years.

[@bethbartlett5692]

Geese - I'm sorta fond of the Wheel - especially 4 of em - Chromed, with a Jaguar setting atop. 🌟 Black on Black with custom Chrome - and a diamond Bling Bling key chain 🔑

[@bethbartlett5692]

@@johnmatheson2760 Mary Kaye - my fav

[@wrencoelestis2194]

Moyakaku 86 yeah that was the joke

[@bob_._.]

@Moyakaku 86 Yes, but no one doubts that Les Paul invented the solid body axe.

[@hendrikdebruin4012]

A modest genius. The ultimate grandfather. The human being we strive to be. I salute you from Africa sir. May your years be long , healthy and blessed.

[@friedbones8227]

I had one instructor in all my college classes that was very like Irving Finkel. We never got bored in class and because of his delivery, we very rarely forgot the subject matter covered in any of his presentations. Being entertained augments memory for many people and I remember him because I was thoroughly entertained by the presentations I sat through. Awesome presenter. I would have taken every class Irving Finkel offered up had he instructed at my school.

[@tcbcapri]

I'm exceedingly grateful for the Royal Institute providing these lectures to the general public to see and to learn from; Thank you.

[@iandoyle5017]

Mr Kipling i presume?

[@lancemanly2533]

I share deeply in this sentiment. I've been able to learn so much incredible information from the comfort of my home. This channel is a youtube treasure!

[@bobolinkr]

... and I also exceeded deeply, thank you

[@lancemanly2533]

@@mangogarlic what?

[@tcbcapri]

@@mangogarlic seconded, what?

[@josiptumapa]

*Irving is like the great uncle / grandfather / neighbor / professor / mentor I wish I had.*

[@operativexeight]

now, in a way, we all get to. i hope that makes sense

[@geezermann7865]

I had never heard of Mr. Finkel. I clicked on this vid to learn about cuneiform writing. He is an original and an iconoclast. Just like me. In fact, I am amazed my white beard is so similar to his. However, he has more hair on his head, and his eyebrows are intense. Otherwise, we must be related.

[@goodgood9955]

I wanted to find the Alexander the Great cuneiform at the British Museum but didnt know where it was. I went to the help desk and they called the Ancient Babylonian department, then they invited me to go to a door. A young woman answered and led me to Mr Finkel! He showed me photos of it and explained the inscription. He then attempted to guide me to where the cuneiform was but he actually had forgotten and had to ask his assistant. We had a photo together and I thanked him. A short but interesting experience.

[@danfield6030]

Exactly ! He reminds me of Albert Pike !

[@brucebaxter5782]

In essence he indeed is all those things to you and others that have had the fortunate happenstance to get introduced to his skillful and affable mind. How could anybody fall asleep to this man lol? I enjoyed your comment!

[@joebombero1]

I had a close friend in high school German class. Life took us in different directions and we met years later and learned we had both been in fraternities in college. We started sending each other notes, letters and later emails using the Greek alphabet phonetically spelling out simple German vocabulary. Nobody ever figured out our code. I still like to use Greek letters when I write down clues to remember passwords online.

[@schifoso5591]

I'm stealing that idea for passwords

[@katherandefy]

Ahha now we have the key to your code. Now all we have to do is figure which anonymous commentator you are irl.

[@fallinginthed33p]

Sorry to burst your bubble but you're not the first to use a Greek phonetic alphabet 😅 There are inscriptions at least 2000 years old in the Jordanian desert that use Greek letters and rudimentary phonology to write Arabic names and phrases.

[@WysteriaGuitar]

I studied Sumerian and Akkadian in the late 80's for 4 years for a Master's in History (yes I said 4 years not 2). I would usually spend about 10-12 hours a day 6 days a week studying. It's a very difficult language, especially when you are learning it to understand the history of the Sumerians. Do not regret it at all. Did not become a professional historian (as the pay is terrible), and went on to get other degrees and a different profession, but now that I am close to retirement I am thinking about digging out all my transliterations and books and doing some research to publish a paper or two. The Sumerian language is more understood now then when I went through school.

[@jortand]

"This is the most insulting and babylike map I could find" I love this guy so much

[@3lightsteps]

The kind of professor one hopes for and seldom is blessed with.

[@bethbartlett5692]

Professor can be changed to reflect: a variety of nouns. Grandfather, friend, advisor, family member, neighbor, partner ... The man is "special"!

[@Garacha222]

each engagement is an adventure for the mind

[@rmschad5234]

I've had one that would used the same style of intermittent jokes and yelling to wake everyone up before some critical information.

[@drg312]

This man is an awesome educator! As an Egyptian, I find his subtle digs against Ancient Egypt hilarious :)

[@tactileslut]

It's the details that help things stick, the stuff Paul Harvey dubbed the rest of the story. I didn't need to know how big Reverend Hincks' family was but that and the "unappetizing" description of the photo make him more memorable, more real.

[@breee4093]

"This crusty and unappetizing looking individual" is my favorite description of a person ever

[@petermoore9504]

He is hilarious, why isn't he more famous?

[@diamondflaw]

If you like him, Tom Scott's video with him of the Royal game of Ur is definitely worth watching.

[@stewartsavage1123]

Because he's a real person

[@Thundralight]

I think he is Santa Claus

[@ariochiv]

I think he's about as famous as an Assyriologist can hope to be. :D

[@zapfanzapfan]

He is famous! Ever heard of Moses? ;-)

[@BookOfFaustus]

One time I saw him sitting on a bench casually reading a book in Hebrew. He's a madlad and a total legend!

[@planpitz4190]

I suppose he is Jewish , so that wouldnt be a very big feat considering his achievements ! But i think that his knowledge of Hebrew and probably Arabic helps him understanding Mesopotamian languages . Prof.Jim Khalili interviewed him during one of his shows explaining the origins of science.Worth watching !

[@ian_b]

@@planpitz4190 According to Wikipedia he was raised Orthodox Jewish but became an atheist.

[@nickrangel139]

A wizard looking guy named Finkel can read Hebrew; ya don't say?

[@dr.elizabethmartin7118]

@@planpitz4190 Yes, Hebrew is an ancient language which millions of people STILL can read...............hmmmmmmmm yeah, I "suppose" he is Jewish- go figure. IF you include the reference/talk w/Prof. J. Khalili I would certainly watch it. cheers

[@dr.elizabethmartin7118]

@@ian_b You never know...............wiki/wackypedia is garbage anyway.

[@lifecloud2]

I can't imagine the patience and dedication it took to figure out the meaning of each of this symbols. I'm so glad someone did this, however, since so many benefit from this knowledge.

[@SStupendous]

Love how he looks like a 19th-century scientist

[@valberm]

It's good that someone from that time is still alive today to explain to us how it all worked at that time.

[@cyndifoore7743]

I love Finkel’s sense of humor, he keeps the audience intent on listening to him with these quips. He also has an amazing memory.

[@RBYW1234]

✡🔶🐢

[@cmdrtianyilin8107]

40 minutes just whoosed by and I'm here, glued to the screen. What a fantastic lecturer he is! 40 minutes worth spending.

[@milikanika6094]

More vids by him on the British Museum channel r there

[@Dremth]

I finished my earlier video with the intent to turn off the TV and go do something else, and then this started autoplaying. And here I am 40 minutes later with the remote in my hand ready to turn off the TV thinking "Wait, did I just watch this whole video on cuneiform?"

[@RBYW1234]

✡🔶🐢

[@prnicho]

Most brilliant. I can listen to and watch Irving again and again. The British Museum is fortunate to have him - and hats off to the guy(s) who were sufficiently enlightened to recruit him.

[@DarthSidian]

Gotta love Irving Finkle. Man's hilarious and educational.

[@jonahperelman]

His book "The Ark Before Noah" is one of my all-time favorites, and I have nothing more than a passing layman's knowledge of his subject. It's as entertaining to read as his lectures are to hear. And he has a preternatural gift for taking unbelievably complex subject matter and making it comprehensible and enjoyable. On a totally unrelated matter, I really want that suit.

[@J1mston]

I've just ordered that book based on this interview and your post, looking forward to it!

[@bethchristie6199]

😂

[@luciusseneca2715]

"every piece of nonsense on your computers will be long gone and we will be the winners!" I need more of this dude!

[@limedickandrew6016]

Take note all those desperately chasing bitcoin.

[@eekee6034]

@Genius Art Ah. So, when... I don't know... archaeologists from some culture which hasn't developed yet; let's call them Limaeans. When Limaean archaeologists unearth your radio bitcoins 2000 years from now, what are they going to learn? >;-) But anyway, as someone with long-time interests in both electronics and computers, I find it a little bit interesting that bitcoins can be exchanged over radio, but not that interesting. The radio-based protocol may possibly be interesting, but at the end of the day it's just another communication protocol. I'm sure mining the bitcoins still takes a monstrous amount of computing power. I call it monstrous becayse I can still do _almost_ anything I actually want to do with computers with far less. I just sometimes have a hankering for the more shiny sorts of 3D graphics or I get stuck with a video encoded with one of those compression algorithms which takes 10 times the computing power for a 1% reduction in file size. I hate those.

[@jecheesecake]

Absolutely engaging entertainer. Questionable lecturer. Makes quantum leaps without any explanation of how he got there. Sums up my entire undergrad experience.

[@yuu_megumi]

This is so funny to me bc japanese language is pretty much like that! Kanji are basically a bunch of simpler words piled up together to make a more complex idea. Sometimes these simpler words, called radicals, determine how to spell the kanji, sometimes they don't. Each japanese character (which is originally chinese, actually) can (and ususally do) have more than one sound/pronunciation and sometimes texts have furigana to give you a hint on how to read kanji. This cuneiform lecture wasn't scary at all haha Congrats for the high quality content, Royal Institution!

[@SamuelLanghorn]

too many people commenting here, what's the use. I was about to mention the radicals in Chinese words, but with >2000 you obviously beat me 🙂

[@9inchyouwish]

this guy needs a tv show. he makes history more alive than ever.

[@eduardkh5101]

He should be on an ancient history tv show like how Carl Sagan or Neil deGrasse Tyson did for Cosmos with natural sciences whatnot. It would be rather splendid

[@robzagar4275]

That’s what book are for. I do agreed with you though

[@9inchyouwish]

@@robzagar4275 hahahaha. you got me to laugh out loud. but very fair point haha

[@malinm1615]

"You hold the tablet in your left, and the stylus in your right hand. There is no other way" Me, left handed: f*ck

[@michaelpage7691]

Incredibly informative and also humorous. If educators were like you when I was at school I may have achieved better results. 😁👍🏻🇦🇺

[@hagaibinsealtiel3745]

Amen !

[@maggieo6672]

Awesome, I love this guy's deep knowledge combined with his superior sense of humor - his lessons I always seem to remember! Thanks so much for sharing, I thoroughly enjoyed this presentation as much as the ones b4 it. With appreciation Maggie (Ontario Canada)

[@bigmull]

This man is so comical but at the same time makes what might be a very academical subject enjoyable.

[@ADeeSHUPA]

@Charles White uP

[@happybuddhabear1155]

This man is fantastic. I could sit in a million of his lectures.

[@madamegeorge7258]

Forsooth. He is quite amazing.

[@TheMargarita1948]

I bet you couldn't. The novelty becomes tedious.

[@xtreme0915]

What an astonishing talk given by such a passionate scholar! His presentation was so engaging that it captivated me about a subject which I'd had absolutely no interest in previously.

[@callummcleish5281]

Irving Finkel is an absolute gem to listen to

[@likilikiki]

"Politicians and other clowns..." Right on the money.

[@likilikiki]

@RICHY-J THE-ARCADE-GUY Don't you have some stores to loot? >

[@ferencszabo3504]

It's not unusual that peoples with the understanding of big society picture hate posers like the politicians.

[@gadeshtmounigama8479]

suddenly one realizes he has learned something and cannot figure out how Irving got through the concrete between our ears. I have never heard or seen a better bit of teaching. I am going to watch more. I just have to remember, no tea and biscuit in the mouth while doing so.

[@Abe489]

What an amazing lecture. Thank you Mr. Finkel for making it so easy to watch and enjoy.❤

[@vectravi2008]

Wonderful presentation by a man who clearly loves his calling. A pleasure to watch and listen to.

[@ashleystewart34ify]

What an amazing human being. I didn’t even know I was interested in such a topic. He is a treasure to be preserved!

[@InDisskyS131]

which method do you propose

[@kurtgodel5236]

​@@InDisskyS131 Auto-iconization à la Bentham

[@Eventhorizon1122]

Passion. The difference between an average teacher and a great teacher.

[@anthonycoccia6129]

this guy has to be my favorite lecturer, he is funny. tons of energy.. wish all my professors had his skills

[@Michelleisfine]

I know basically nothing on the topic of any ancient language, but found this lecture a delight. It will be one I have to come back to watch again, because I am serious when I say I know nothing on the topic.

[@ellenpaasch4743]

Many thanks Irving. I so enjoy your lectures and discussions.

[@FreedomEikaiwa]

What a wonderful lecture! Listening to the overview of the language and the “snags” section, I found several similarities to Japanese. 1. Use both “pictographs” and phonetic writing methods. 2. Contain multiple readings for the same pictograph. 3. No spaces between words. 4. Multiple characters have the same sound. I am looking forward to learning more!

[@yuriythebest]

yes, the similarity with "forest" kanji is is extraordinary - like it's almost the same system

[@DanielJackson2010]

It is all connected. At some point languages and cultures shared their common ancestors. Japanese is certainly closer to these ancient scripts than our modern writing, meaning languages using alphabet. Letters are also on the spectrum or a continuum of evolutionary progression toward achieving the most economical abstraction and precision while staying relatively brief.

[@danzoom]

@@DanielJackson2010 nah, japanese writing came from chinese one and we have ancient chinese writing. It's definitely not connected to cuneiform. The same can be said about writing systems of mesoamerica. It would be pretty ridiculous to find all these ancient writing systems, but nothing "in between" to fill the gaps between them, but still claim they are connected. I am not sure about egyptian hyerogliphics' connection to cuneiform, but they probably aren't connected. Most of other writing systems in the world though are direct descendents of egyptian writing system: latin, cyrillic, indian, arabic, south-east asian systems, etc. Please, do not misinform people on the internet. Different peoples developed writing independent of each other. The same can be said about languages - there is no evidence of connection between all the languages of the world.

[@CorvusCorone68]

@@danzoom the Greeks and Indians had a cross-cultural exchange at one point, i believe around the time of Alexander the Great; they may not have exchanged languages but there are statues of Buddha in India with Greek curls

[@littlestbroccoli]

You guys are having the debate about monogenesis or polygenesis, so basically did something (languages, stories, etc.) arise on its own in separate locations or did they all stem from one source initially and spread? This is a popular debate that goes on currently in many fields, and interestingly there is research lately that supports the multiple arisers, however it's not possible to know for sure. It all is fascinating either way, and being able to see the similarities in how Japanese was developed and that it lives today with us at the stage cuneiform was at then is just fun all around.

[@jamiewaymire7599]

Irving is so dynamic and interesting in the way he presents the material. Makes me want to learn as much as I can.

[@danfield6030]

Hereinafter me of Albert Pike.

[@jeffgarrison7056]

Dr. Irving Finkel is my absolute favorite!!! I love this guy!!! If my history teachers would've been half as enthusiastic, passionate, entertaining, and comedic as he, and I they would have actually taught real, accurate, factually correct history instead of the bullsh¡t Scaligerian history that 95% of us were taught, I would've been a historian. And I guarantee that I would have gotten an A in every class. Dr. Irving Finkel is such a great character; I truly love this brilliant man!!!

[@incanada83]

Jeff Garrison, SOOO true! My history teacher believed in giving curriculum book to randomly chosen student in my class, and write on a blackboard exactly word for word, what was already in the book every student had. He, on the other hand was "busy" reading something else. If it wasn't that... everyone had to memorize dates of every war from the past "million" years, and recite it whenever he felt like asking randomly chosen student, to answer him what happened at that day and so on. History was the most f*****g boooring subject until new teacher came along 2 years later, and made the subject interesting, which stayed with me to this day :-)

[@moniquehinderer4704]

this man and his opinions on humanity warms my heart....

[@robertschlesinger1342]

Another superb lecture by Irving Finkel. He is a master teacher of cuneiform writing systems and a delightful lecturer. I have watched several of his other lectures on-line and was equally impressed. Please continue posting his lectures. He is a treasure.

[@lrdstrahd1]

I wish I had a professor like him when I was in school. His personality just captivates the audience and he has an amazing sense of humor. Also being one of the worlds foremost experts on the subject doesn't hurt either. I think I would have learned a great deal from a teacher such as this.

[@geezermann7865]

I agree. The last two generations of students have been shortchanged, to put it mildly. Professors with tenure only there to fill space and indoctrinate with Marxist propaganda, instead of inspiring the love of learning, and the ability to actually THINK for themselves.

[@stein6811]

@@geezermann7865 you have no idea what you're talking about.

[@theautodan7095]

@@stein6811 actually he does... Perhaps you went to one of the better univeristies , but america is full of horribly dull professors.

[@danielryan9076]

Still can

[@jonessii]

@@theautodan7095 Yes but none of them teach "marxist propaganda" which was likely the part being referred.

[@DanAdriolo]

loved this lecture, and listened to it with open mouth and a smile on my face, briliant.

[@simonosborne3047]

Brilliant delivery. More from this chap please.

[@lancemanly2533]

I LOVE Dr. Finkle he is a real life wizard, and a complete joy to watch!

[@HerbQuest]

Irving Finkel ought to be nominated as a hero of 2019, this man's words ought to be heard by more men.

[@Jasondavisvids]

Herb Quest I agree. Only men, no women!

[@HerbQuest]

@@Jasondavisvids Oh common, you know I mean mankind. I know its a sexist way of wording it... but it felt like the right thing to say at the time. Men of both genders of course!

[@Jasondavisvids]

Herb Quest oh, I was serious though :( jk lol

[@HerbQuest]

@@Jasondavisvids I should also note that I mean men of all genders, not "both" to be even more politically correct ;)

[@Jschmuck8987]

Precisely how many genders are you referring to?

[@Greksallad]

I'm only 53 seconds in and I already like this guy, this lecture is going to be epic

[@alexandergonzalez9669]

Absolutely wonderful lecture! His passion and wit had me completely enaged.

[@alanmartinezrodriguez884]

I already had my suspicions but Irving Finkel ended up convincing me that The Royal Institution is really Hogwarts.

[@-danR]

This guy's face in youTube's right sidebar is automatic clickbait. And the first 5 seconds made me think I've stumbled upon a 19th century painting hanging on the wall in an Oxford hallway that became magically animated.

[@mathsfornineyearolds]

There are many stories about cities in the sky that maybe attributed to various atmospheric conditions. They have been around for a long time. It may be the case that on seeing them, hunter gatherers who identified species by their foot prints while hunting for them, wished to convey their presence to the people in the cities, and may have realised they were looking at a reflection of a far off unknown place, so may be they made large images of the human foot print on the ground and images of themselves to see if there were other humans living there. If we look at a human foot print the lines around the toes look like some of the symbols in early writing, before we became fixated with geometry. It could be the reason for the similarity of earth works in Britain and North America. A sheet of rain over the atlantic may be the reason for these legends. Language may not always be what Barthe's mythologies called myth, or arbitrary in form. Sorry. Did a college course years ago and they made us read that stuff.

[@DinkyDiTruBlu]

Golden comment! Coz it's true!! Hehe

[@mathsfornineyearolds]

@@DinkyDiTruBlu The original language is called ogigian. The later ones like sanscrit and hebrew are derivatives.

[@RBYW1234]

✡🔶🐢

[@BoWhitten]

I love Irving Finkel. Funny and Informed. I have thought about going to the British Museum just to meet him.

[@helenel4126]

Join the queue!

[@markvines7308]

If it's at all possible just go. Life is short, don't die wishing you had done these things.

[@BoWhitten]

@@markvines7308 I agree, but it is not possible now, and later may not exist.

[@helenel4126]

If the money to travel presented itself, I would.

[@BoWhitten]

@@helenel4126 So would I.

[@sandralarsen3550]

That was such a joyful lecture for such a dry topic. God bless Irving Finkel!

[@NedAndre]

I could listen to a lecture from this fellow every day. What a joy.

[@ZMB-on5ub]

I'm impressed they wove that mic through his glorious beard. Give that person a raise.

[@es2378]

Same thought lol

[@tactileslut]

Crunchy. If they'd put it near his eye they would have caught the words with less scratching.

[@rubbers3]

One sign can have different sounds, same sound can have different spelling. Fish and Ghoti. Sea and See . It's the same in English. Every C in "Pacific Ocean" also.

[@jeanfish7]

In Czech, Fish is Riba, go figure!:)

[@staleyisking937]

I am in absolute awe! Irving you are the most wonderful orator, I wish I could learn everything filtered through your mind! I am simply jealous of any one who gets to interact with you on a daily basis, I bet they just adore having that time with such a wonderful man. You just must do more videos!

[@mohamedouali1974]

انه قطعة خشب تشتعل في المحاضرة وعند ما تنقضي المحاضرة لا يبقى منه او منها الا الرماد

[@LemonFlavoredRain]

I started watching this on a whim and couldn't click away. Excellent presentation.

[@MarcusAgrippa390]

This guy always makes me laugh out loud, love his style of lecture and his use of strategically placed cursing and random swearing. The personification of a curmudgeon.

[@MrSonny6155]

I must admit, before Irving I wasn't really a firm believer of strategic swearing for comedic negotiation between a speaker and a listener. What a fool I was...

[@montruo000000007]

His swearing and outbursts keep me engaged. I’m always attentive just in case he does a funny, which is exactly why I love this kind of teaching with comedy

[@GEReyn]

My favorite lecturer. I could listen to him all day, every day.

[@skeetarus]

This man is astonishingly wonderful and I wish every student could learn from teachers like him.

[@kalenakai6808]

Professors like this are few and far between. He's a treasure.

[@Khazam1992]

just writing .. in 14:53 na-ru-um seems similar to na-h-ru in Arabic which aslo means river ka-la-bu-um seems similar to ka-l-bu and ka-l-bun in Arabic which also means dog

[@husambotros3958]

You mean the Arabic seems similar to them .. yes of course its similar because arabic is a Semitic language same as Hebrew which both in turn are derived from old Aramaic that was deeply routed in the neo Assyrian empire.

[@RichWoods23]

@No No1 That's a deeply mistaken reading of the word semite. The Semitic language group measurably stretches back at least 8000 years to Akkadian predecessors, which was 4000 years before Judaism, and in practice will have existed for much longer, pointing to one of the early human migrations out of Africa before the last ice age. Just because some linguist named the group Semitic a couple of hundred years ago doesn't make it 'designed by Jews'.

[@HO-bndk]

Ther are many Ancient Egyptian words that are ancestors of modern Arabic words too. "pada" meant duck "tepeh" meant apple and so on for many more.

[@Salo1378]

"La" also stands in both languages for No Which is "no" suprise since both languages are related to each other.

[@Bluebirdiran]

@@HO-bndk but the Arabic language does not have the P sound. so?

[@kc9aop]

This is extremely informative. I believe anyone hearing this presentation will walk away with a new appreciation for the efforts and genius of the men that deciphered these writings. Many thanks to the Royal Institute for making this scholarly presentation available to all who wish to learn and appreciate these and other works.

[@darrenconroy1052]

Loved this, great topic but Irvin's delightful, genial delivery is a joy.

[@RBYW1234]

✡🔶🐢

[@vianemad66]

Thanks for explaining our history in perfectly way which is hard for people in my country to explain beautifully like you.

[@grantkeller8024]

Interesting, I recently met two couples from Italy visiting the US. One knew very little English, I know No Italian. We sat and visited over 2hrs using few common words, sign jesters and pictures... It was amazing.

[@EggBastion]

We used to have a lot of Italians at my old place of work. Jokes about Italians and gestures aside, they were almost every one of 'em _very_ good at miming.

[@AdEPTErik]

you guys know about google translate on your phone right? We went through China last July and virtually had zero issues despite no one speaking english and myself knowing zero mandarin. You speak your own languge and it spits it out in the ohter one for the other person.

[@j3ah0o]

This is the second video I have watched with Mr Finkel. I appreciate his demeanor, humor and ability to keep the topic truly riveting. I want to take one of his classes just to hear more!

[@rondavison8475]

The digitization of pictographs into a form of counting, stories, and eventually writing, learned so much from this one lecture.

[@zeronothing000]

Kudos to you! Bless your heart! How could one fall asleep. Your presentation was exhilarating!

[@dancingwithnature5303]

I wish all of my professors had been like Dr. Finkle! I'm quite certain that no one is like Irving Finkel!!! 🙏 Namaste

[@jp8649]

I absolutely adore this man. He could talk about anything and I would feel blessed to listen.

[@rvalasini9938]

wow... he makes any topic sound so interesting and love his humour. no subject is dry with this character in the house that's for sure :)

[@jonathanwalther]

Nice to see, Hincks finally got his recognition after 200 years. Funny, how Finkel was bashing Rawlinson and the lecture about language slowly became a lecture about personality.

[@timjameson1095]

I love Irving's lecture style. He is fun to listen to. He is very informative, and based on his candor, he knows what he is talking about. Thank you Irving for your lecture.

[@the-chillian]

5:42 -- The tablet in the lower left preserves much more than the accountancy it was meant to record. I believe we have the scribe's thumbprint still visible there. Modern Japanese writing lacks determinatives, but in every other way it works almost exactly the same as cuneiform as used by the Akkadians. Its based on Chinese writing rather than Sumerian, but every other mechanism and every other pitfall is present. I guess the main difference is that they have developed a set of unambiguous syllabic symbols (the kana, which occur in two related but different sets) but you can also write syllables with Chinese characters (kanji) which may take on a number of pronunciations depending on context.

[@Ice_Karma]

Chinese has _classifiers_ or _measure words,_ obligatory particles that must come between a number (or a demonstrative like _that,_ or quantifiers like _every_ ) and the noun being qualified, which... I guess between classifiers/measure words on the one hand and kana on the other, they both end up ranking the same. =3

[@the-chillian]

@@Ice_Karma Japanese has measure words too, but these aren't quite the same things as the determinatives of cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs. For one thing, they're actually words, and are pronounced in speech. This is not true of determinatives, which are a feature of the writing system but not the spoken language. Their function is to help resolve possible ambiguities among readings, and possibly as graphical honorifics when writing sacred names.

[@jasonjeffersjr6109]

It’s interesting to see similarities with cuneiform and Japanese, different writing systems for the same sounds and using context to determine which sounds to use when reading

[@grizwoldphantasia5005]

I noticed that too, first multiple sounds for one mark, then multiple marks with the same sound, and then -- holy mackerel -- no spaces! I wonder if Japanese find cuneiform easier to learn than others do.

[@Ash-vt5cp]

Same in chinese - sometimes they use characters just for their sound despite the character itself having nothing to do with the word. Chracters have a 'radical' component too which is supposed to give a clue as to how to pronounce it, though sometimes it has nothing to do with the pronunciation - not to be unexpected after millennia of tiny incremental changes, so theyre not pictographic _or_ syllabic, but logographic.

[@kori228]

cause Chinese

[@C33P]

this is the most intriguing content i have ever watched on youtube! thankyou!

[@trireme6059]

This guy has a wonderful sense of humor!

[@kevin._.27]

I see Irving Finkle I click immediately.

[@manfredfruhauf3557]

This one of the most informative and entertaining lectures I ever heard! If I may add a little piece of information, I would like to point out that even in our time there exists one writing system that nearly 100% parallels this Sumerian / Akkadian way of writing, including all the "snags" Prof. Finkel mentioned: I am refering to Japanese, which uses a writing system originally based on Chinese characters, but developing its own "deviations" from the Chinese = Sumerian writing standards. By the way, climbing a skyscraper seriously considering to jump down because of the torture learning Japanese Kanji reading is a feeling we are all to familar with after we innocently decided to learn to read and write Japanese.

[@johnnyflappyjawsteeth4945]

Ive met this man in real life in his place of work a few year's back , incredible human being and one of the few people who is gifted at explaining stuff . Very funny man also . Ha 😂

[@christophermilner21]

Thank you. Brilliant. I love this man's lectures; they're compelling, informative and humorous.

[@oguzalb]

This was one of the most brilliant presentations I have ever seen. He was able to present a usually very boring topic in a fun way, and still giving lots of important information in a memorable way.

[@frater_niram]

Genius, when knowledge and humor come together its always a treat

[@nbenefiel]

I love this guy. When I was an undergrad, I was equally interested in the ancient Near East and Mediaeval England and Ireland. After I managed to graduate, I applied for grad programs to University College Dublin, which had a MPhil program, and the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago. I never expected to get into either program, but I was accepted by both. As my Greek and Latin were far superior to my cuneiform and hieroglyphics, and I wanted to get as far away from home as possible, I chose Dublin. I still love the ancient Near East.

[@MaffTUK]

I have no idea how I ended up watching this, but I was captivated from start to finish ...loved it

[@hookbeak3516]

Wonderful scholar, academic speaker, British philologist, Assyriologist & it seems Assistant Keeper of Mesopotamia script, languages and cultures in the Department of the Middle East in the British Museum. But more importantly he specialises cuneiform inscriptions on ancient clay tablets. His humour is on point, I love how he raises his tone to prevent those nodding off!

[@Respected_Gentleman]

He's like an academic mixture of Alan Moore and Billy Connolly. What a legend.

[@Themarkofegypt007]

I'm an Egyptian Egyptologist and it cracked me up when he mentioned the thing about the who came up first with writing...I wish all Egyptologist were like him indeed

[@MsDormy]

This is a great introduction to the idea of cuneiform writing. Really watchable - and hooray for Edward Hinks.... so happy he has a champion to set the record straight.

[@alcondragon]

A truly great video, and a wonderful teacher!.... This fine gentleman, ( Irving Leonard Finkel ) makes past knowledge and history a virtual joy to witness and be a part of!!! . Bravo!

[@johndoa4839]

Truly fascinating lecture Thank you for the upload