How a curator decoded the ancient rules of a long-lost Mesopotamian board game
In short: Irving Finkel, curator of cuneiform at the British Museum, shares his discovery of a clay tablet detailing the rules of an ancient board game. This video explores his lifelong fascination with the game and his work deciphering the museum's vast collection of 130,000 tablets.
Since 1979, Irving Finkel has studied the British Museum's extensive archive of 130,000 cuneiform tablets to uncover insights into daily life in ancient Mesopotamia. This pilot episode highlights a specific tablet that Finkel identified as containing the formal rules for a board game he has been passionate about since he was a child.
The video serves as an introduction to the Curators' Corner series, produced by Gabriel Sainhas and directed by Patricia Wheatley. It offers a glimpse into the meticulous work of a curator tasked with translating the written records of one of history's earliest civilizations.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Deciphering the world's oldest rule book | Irving Finkel | Curator's Corner S1 Ep1 [PILOT]
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