Dr. Irving Finkel on Lex Fridman: Why Writing Predates Sumer

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

December 12, 2025

Duration

2h 5m

Channel

Lex Fridman Podcast

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Irving Finkel is a scholar of ancient languages and a longtime curator at the British Museum, renowned for his expertise in Mesopotamian history and cuneiform writing. He specializes in reading and interpreting cuneiform inscriptions, including tablets from Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian contexts. He became widely known for studying a tablet with a Mesopotamian flood story that predates the biblical Noah narrative, which he presented in his book "The Ark Before Noah" and in a documentary that involved building a circular ark based on the tablet's technical instructions. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep487-sb See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. *Transcript:* https://lexfridman.com/irving-finkel-transcript *CONTACT LEX:* *Feedback* - give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey *AMA* - submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama *Hiring* - join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring *Other* - other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact *EPISODE LINKS:* Irving's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drirvingfinkel/ The Ark Before Noah (book): https://amzn.to/4j2U0DW Irving Lectures Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYXwZvOwHjVcFUi9iEqirkXRaCUJdXGha British Museum Video Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0LQM0SAx603A6p5EJ9DVcESqQReT7QyK British Museum Website: https://www.britishmuseum.org/ The Great Diary Project: https://thegreatdiaryproject.co.uk/ *SPONSORS:* To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: *Shopify:* Sell stuff online. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep487-sb *Miro:* Online collaborative whiteboard platform. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/miro-ep487-sb *Chevron:* Reliable energy for data centers. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/chevron-ep487-sb *LMNT:* Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep487-sb *AG1:* All-in-one daily nutrition drink. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/ag1-ep487-sb *OUTLINE:* 0:00 - Introduction 0:58 - Origins of human language 7:04 - Cuneiform 14:17 - Controversial theory about Göbekli Tepe 25:29 - How to write and speak Cuneiform 30:48 - Primitive human language 32:31 - Development of writing systems 33:25 - Decipherment of Cuneiform 45:57 - Limits of language 50:56 - Art of translation 56:06 - Gods 1:01:31 - Ghosts 1:11:19 - Ancient flood stories 1:21:26 - Noah's Ark 1:32:49 - The Royal Game of Ur 1:45:48 - British Museum 1:53:13 - Evolution of human civilization *PODCAST LINKS:*

• Podcast Website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast
• Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr
• Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8
• RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/
• Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4
• Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/lexclips

*SOCIAL LINKS:*

• X: https://x.com/lexfridman
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/lexfridman
• TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lexfridman
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/lexfridman
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/lexfridman
• Patreon: https://patreon.com/lexfridman
• Telegram: https://t.me/lexfridman
• Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/lexfridman

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Lex Fridman

  host

• Irving Finkel

  guest

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Lex Fridman Podcast, featuring Lex Fridman and Irving Finkel, Dr. Irving Finkel on Lex Fridman: Why Writing Predates Sumer explores irving Finkel Reveals Deep Origins Of Writing, Floods, And Play Lex Fridman and Assyriologist Irving Finkel explore the origins, structure, and decipherment of cuneiform, arguing that writing—and even lexicography—emerged far earlier and more systematically than the archaeological record alone suggests.

🔗 RELATED EPISODES

Keoki Jackson: Lockheed Martin | Lex Fridman Podcast #33

Elon Musk: Neuralink, AI, Autopilot, and the Pale Blue Dot | Lex Fridman Podcast #49

Grant Sanderson: 3Blue1Brown and the Beauty of Mathematics | Lex Fridman Podcast #64

Rohit Prasad: Amazon Alexa and Conversational AI | Lex Fridman Podcast #57

Gary Marcus: Toward a Hybrid of Deep Learning and Symbolic AI | Lex Fridman Podcast #43

Christof Koch: Consciousness | Lex Fridman Podcast #2