How a missing clay fragment revealed an ancient Mesopotamian landscape
Discover the world's oldest map. This video follows the reconstruction of a 2,900-year-old Babylonian cuneiform tablet, tracing a journey through a mythical landscape to find the legendary resting place of the ark.
The Babylonian map of the world, inscribed on clay in Mesopotamia approximately 2,900 years ago, stands as the oldest known map of its kind. While the tablet was originally incomplete, curator Irving Finkel and student Edith Horsley successfully located a missing piece, allowing the map to be reconstructed.
The restored tablet offers a glimpse into a mythical Mesopotamian geography, including the location of the ark. While often associated with the biblical Noah, the tablet's earlier Mesopotamian flood narrative features the figure Ziusudra as the builder of the ark.
Source: The Babylonian Map of the World with Irving Finkel | Curator’s Corner S9 Ep5
