How an ancient Sumerian math puzzle led to a lost temple
Archaeologists have long searched for the mythical Temple of Ningirsu. Discover how curator Sébastien Rey used ancient Sumerian unit fractions to solve a 140-year-old mystery and locate this lost site in Southern Iraq.
For over 140 years, the location of the Temple of Ningirsu in Girsu remained a mystery to archaeologists. The site, once considered mythical, was rediscovered through the application of predictive archaeology and ancient mathematics.
Sébastien Rey, a curator of ancient Mesopotamia at the British Museum, achieved this breakthrough by decoding a Sumerian mathematical puzzle. By utilizing the logic of ancient unit fractions, Rey was able to identify the temple's location in Southern Iraq, proving that ancient mathematical principles can still unlock historical secrets.
Source: We found a lost temple using maths sent by an ancient Sumerian god | Curator's Corner S9 Ep3
