The Babylonian Map of the World with Irving Finkel | Curator’s Corner S9 Ep5

Summary

In this video, Irving Finkel, a curator at the British Museum, discusses a remarkable clay tablet replica, which is the oldest known map of the world. The map, dating back to 6th century BC Mesopotamia, depicts the region now known as Iraq, including the Euphrates River and the city of Babylon. It also features mythical lands beyond known boundaries, described with fantastical elements such as a great wall and a tree with jeweled fruit. A volunteer, Edith Horsley, discovered a missing fragment that fit perfectly into the map, revealing details about the 'Great Wall' and linking the map to the Babylonian Ark, akin to the Biblical story of Noah's Ark. The video highlights the importance of archaeological discoveries in enhancing our understanding of ancient civilizations.

Takeaways

• 🗺️ The British Museum holds objects of all sizes, including the oldest known map of the world from ancient Mesopotamia.
• 📝 The tablet is a replica of a fragile clay tablet that contains significant cuneiform writing and depicts early world creation stories.
• 🌍 The map shows ancient Mesopotamia, with the Euphrates River and the city of Babylon depicted inside a double ring representing the 'Bitter River' that surrounded the known world.
• 🗻 Triangular shapes outside the double ring are believed to represent distant mountains or mysterious, magical lands.
• 🔍 Archaeologists recently discovered a missing piece of the tablet, thanks to volunteer Edith Horsley, who identified a fragment that completed the map's missing triangle.
• 🧭 The triangles are linked to descriptions of far-off places, including magical lands, such as a place where the sun is never seen and trees bear jewels instead of fruit.
• 📜 The tablet also provides a connection to the Babylonian flood myth, with references to a ship as thick as a 'parsiktu vessel,' possibly alluding to the Babylonian Ark similar to Noah's Ark.
• 🏔️ One triangle describes a massive wall, 'The Great Wall,' which is 840 cubits tall and associated with mythical lands beyond the known world.
• ⏳ Matching the newly discovered fragment to the rest of the tablet helped clarify several other sections and aligned the descriptions with the map's layout.
• 🦅 The tablet's scribe remains unidentified, but the father's name 'Iṣṣuru' means 'bird,' leading Irving Finkel to suggest the map provides a bird's-eye view of the known world.

Q & A

What is the significance of the clay tablet discussed in the script?

The clay tablet is significant because it is the oldest known map of the world, dating back to Ancient Mesopotamia. It provides a depiction of the world as understood by the Babylonians in the 6th century BC, including a representation of Mesopotamia, the Euphrates river, and the city of Babylon.

Why is the clay tablet replica used instead of the original in the presentation?

The replica is used because the original clay tablet is delicate and constantly on exhibition. Handling the original for demonstration purposes would be irresponsible due to its fragility and value.

What does the double circle drawn on the clay represent?

The double circle represents the 'Bitter River', which was believed to surround the known world. The area inside the double ring is Ancient Mesopotamia itself.

How does the map depict the city of Babylon in relation to the Euphrates river?

The map shows a great river, the Euphrates, running from north to south, and it is straddled by a long oblong shape, which represents the city of Babylon.

What are the triangles in the outer ring of the map thought to represent?

The triangles in the outer ring are thought to represent mountains, and they are associated with remote lands beyond the known world, full of magic and mystery according to Babylonian cosmology and theology.

What was the discovery made by Edith Horsley regarding the clay tablet?

Edith Horsley discovered a missing fragment of the map that fit perfectly into the existing tablet, providing new insights into the map's descriptions and the locations of mythical places.

What does the term 'parsiktu-vessel' refer to in the context of the tablet?

In the context of the tablet, 'parsiktu-vessel' refers to a measurement of thickness, which is used to describe the ribs of the Babylonian Ark, similar to the Ark in the Bible, which came to rest on a mountain.

How does the discovery of the missing fragment affect the understanding of the map?

The discovery of the missing fragment allows for a clearer understanding of the map by matching three triangles in a row with their corresponding descriptions, which was previously difficult with isolated triangles.

What is the significance of the name 'Iṣṣuru' mentioned in the script?

The name 'Iṣṣuru', meaning 'bird' in Babylonian, is significant as it suggests that the map might be a 'bird's-eye view' of the world, reflecting the perspective of the scribe's family, possibly named after this view.

How does the script describe the process of matching the fragment to the tablet?

The script describes the process as a meticulous and exciting journey of discovery. Edith Horsley initially identified the fragment, and Irving Finkel confirmed its fit to the tablet using a photograph and later the original tablet itself.

What is the importance of the Babylonian Ark's description in relation to the map?

The description of the Babylonian Ark is important as it provides a tangible link between the mythical narrative and a physical location on the map, suggesting that the Ark's remains could be found on a specific mountain, paralleling the Biblical story of Noah's Ark landing on Mount Ararat.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 The Oldest Map of the World in Clay

Irving Finkel, a curator at The British Museum, introduces a replica of an ancient clay tablet, which is the oldest known map of the world. The original, too delicate for display, dates back to the Mesopotamian era. The map is inscribed with cuneiform writing, indicating it represents Ancient Mesopotamia, including the Euphrates River and the city of Babylon. The map also features a 'Bitter River' surrounding the known world and triangles symbolizing mountains beyond the known world, filled with mythical elements. Despite its damaged condition, the map provides a snapshot of the Babylonians' geographical and cosmological understanding from around the 6th century BC.

05:01

🔍 Piecing Together the Ancient Map Mystery

The video delves into the historical challenge of matching the map's triangles with their corresponding descriptions. Edith Horsley, a volunteer and cuneiform enthusiast, discovers a missing piece of the map in the museum's collection. This fragment, once part of the larger map, contains a triangle with the description of 'The Great Wall,' which is identified through a process of elimination and logical matching. The discovery allows for a clearer understanding of the map's layout and the mythical elements it represents, including a place where the sun was never seen and a tree with jeweled fruit.

10:04

🚣‍♂️ The Quest for the Babylonian Ark

The narrative continues with the deciphering of the map's descriptions, leading to the identification of a location associated with the Babylonian Ark, similar to the Biblical story of Noah's Ark. The map indicates a journey across the 'Bitter River' to a mountain where the Ark's remains can be found. This mountain is named 'Urartu,' which corresponds to 'Ararat' in the Bible, suggesting a cultural link between the Babylonian and Hebrew narratives. The discovery not only provides a geographical context for the ancient story but also highlights the map's significance in understanding ancient Mesopotamian beliefs and traditions.

15:08

🕵️‍♂️ The Scribe and the Bird's-Eye View

In the final part, the focus shifts to the map's creator, whose name is lost but whose father was named 'Iṣṣuru,' meaning 'bird' in Babylonian. This unique name leads to the interpretation of the map as a 'bird's-eye view' of the world, reflecting the scribe's family legacy and providing a personal touch to the artifact. The video concludes by emphasizing the importance of such discoveries in enriching our understanding of Mesopotamian culture and the power of combining fragments of knowledge to unlock new historical insights.

Keywords

💡Cuneiform

Cuneiform is one of the earliest systems of writing, invented by the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia. It consists of wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets. In the video, cuneiform is central as it is the script used on the clay tablet that is the focus of the discussion. The script provides a historical account of the world as understood by the Babylonians, including descriptions of geographical features and mythical places.

💡Clay Tablet

A clay tablet is a type of writing medium used in ancient times, made from clay and inscribed while wet, then dried or baked. In the video, the clay tablet is a replica of an ancient Mesopotamian artifact that contains a map and a creation story. It is discussed as a stable and reliable medium for preserving information across time, despite the damage and incompleteness of the tablet.

💡Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia, meaning 'land between the rivers,' refers to the area of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern-day Iraq. It is considered the cradle of civilization. In the video, Mesopotamia is the known world within the double ring of the map on the clay tablet, indicating the geographical and cultural significance of the region in ancient times.

💡Euphrates River

The Euphrates River is one of the major rivers of Western Asia, running through modern-day Iraq and Syria. In the video, the Euphrates is depicted on the map as a significant geographical feature, highlighting its importance to the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia for transportation, agriculture, and life.

💡Babylon

Babylon was an ancient city located in Mesopotamia and was the capital of Babylonia. It was a major cultural and administrative center of the ancient world. In the video, Babylon is mentioned as a city straddling the Euphrates River, indicating its prominence and centrality within the known world of the time.

💡Creation Story

A creation story is a mythological narrative that describes the coming into being of the world. In the video, a brief summary of creation is mentioned on the clay tablet, detailing how animals were placed in the sea and different parts of the universe, reflecting the ancient Babylonian understanding of the origins of life and the world.

💡Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia, an extension of the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Hormuz. In the video, the Persian Gulf is mentioned as the endpoint of the waterways that were vital for transport and trade in ancient Mesopotamia, emphasizing the region's strategic location.

💡Archaeological Excavation

Archaeological excavation is the process of carefully digging to uncover artifacts and remains from past civilizations. In the video, the process of excavation is discussed in the context of finding and piecing together fragments of clay tablets, which is crucial for understanding the historical and cultural significance of the artifacts.

💡Colophon

A colophon is a section of a manuscript or book that contains information about its production. In the video, the colophon of the clay tablet is mentioned, although the scribe's name is broken, his father's name, 'Iṣṣuru' (meaning 'bird' in Babylonian), is intact, providing a personal connection to the artifact and a clue to its interpretation.

💡Ark

In the context of the video, the Ark refers to a large boat constructed to survive a great flood, similar to the Biblical account of Noah's Ark. The video discusses the discovery of a fragment that describes the Ark's remains on a mountain, linking the Babylonian account to the Biblical story and providing a geographical location for the Ark's final resting place.

💡Urartu

Urartu, also known as Ararat in the Bible, is a historical region and kingdom in the eastern part of Anatolia. In the video, Urartu is mentioned as the first place one would come to after descending from the mountain where the Ark was said to rest, drawing a parallel between the Babylonian and Biblical narratives of the Great Flood.

Highlights

Irving Finkel introduces a replica of an ancient clay tablet, emphasizing the fragility of the original.

The clay tablet is revealed to be the oldest known map of the world, with significant damage but still containing valuable information.

The map features a double ring representing the 'Bitter River' surrounding Ancient Mesopotamia, indicating the known world's limits.

The Euphrates River and the city of Babylon are clearly depicted within the map, showing the importance of these geographical features.

Triangles on the map's outer ring symbolize mountains and remote lands, rich with myth and mystery for the Babylonians.

A missing piece of the map is discovered in the British Museum's collection, potentially linking descriptions to specific triangles on the map.

Edith Horsley, a volunteer, plays a crucial role in identifying the missing piece, contributing to the map's understanding.

The discovery of the missing piece allows for a clearer interpretation of the map's descriptions and the world beyond Mesopotamia.

One of the triangles is identified as 'The Great Wall', with a description providing dimensions and a journey to reach it.

The map's descriptions include fantastical elements like a tree with jeweled fruit and giant birds that can't fly.

The map's connection to the Babylonian Ark and the mountain 'Urartu' is explored, drawing parallels to the Biblical story of Noah's Ark.

The scribe's name is lost, but the father's name, 'Iṣṣuru' meaning 'bird', suggests a bird's-eye view of the world, adding a personal touch to the map.

The map's significance lies not in its cartographical accuracy but in the insights it provides into Mesopotamian thinking and cosmology.

The map represents a triumph of archaeological拼接, where a small, seemingly insignificant fragment can unlock new understanding.

The video concludes with an invitation to explore more cuneiform-related content and a teaser for the next episode of Curator's Corner.

Transcripts

In The British Museum, we  have objects of all sizes.

Some pinheads, and some gigantic,  and everything in between.

And once in a while, one  of the very smallest things

turns out to have information in it

which is totally unexpected.

My name is Irving Finkel

and I’m a curator in The British Museum in the Middle East Department

and welcome to my corner.

Curator's Corner with Irving Finkel So what we have here

is a clay tablet.

As a matter of fact, it is not a real clay tablet

it is a replica

because the real clay tablet has  to be on exhibition all the time

and also it's very delicate

we couldn't wave it around in front of the screen

and say "look at this, look at that"

that would be terribly irresponsible.

So but we can use this

replica

for demonstration purposes with impunity.

The ancient Mesopotamians

Sumerians, Babylonians, all those people

they wrote on clay, that  was their natural activity

and clay tablets which have  impressions of writing on

are pretty good, they're pretty stable

you can handle them

you can't play football with them

but they're pretty reliable

but what happens in antiquity

is there are wars, and buildings collapse

and fires, and disasters

and people die and they go away

and other people come and trample on things

and when archaeologists find them

it is not often that an ancient inscription on a piece of clay

comes to light in perfect condition.

So this tablet

you can easily see that it isn't complete

there's stuff missing here there's stuff missing there

and it also looks like elephants

have danced a polka over the surface

because many of the signs are damaged or squashed

But nevertheless, this piece  of cuneiform inscription

is a remarkable thing.

This is the oldest map of the world!

...in the world.

It has two sides, this is the front or 'obverse'

and this is the back or the 'reverse'

and the reverse consists of lots of lines of cuneiform

in different ruled sections.

So it's full of information,  even though it's a bit damaged.

But the other side is the remarkable thing.

Firstly there's some lines of cuneiform

ruled across very firmly at the top

and this is about the early creation of the world

and how animals were put in the sea and in different parts of the universe

it's a kind of brief summary of creation

which has nothing to do with the map

because there's a clear  border between that and this

and it's this which is so exciting

because if you look carefully you will see that the flat surface of the clay

has a double circle drawn  in the surface of the clay.

Now the double ring is very important

because it has cuneiform writing in it

which says it's the "Bitter River"

and this water was deemed  to surround the known world

because the area inside the double ring...

is Ancient Mesopotamia itself.

Now this word 'Mesopotamia'  is the Ancient Greek word

for what is modern Iraq.

So inside the drawing of this circle

we have very interesting things.

There is a great river that  runs from north to south

which is the Euphrates river.

and the river is straddled

by a long oblong which is obviously

the city of Babylon.

So this is a very important ring of water

because it meant for the  Babylonians, they had a sort of idea

of the limits of their world where they lived

in about the 6th century BC

with these important rivers which  brough life and food to them

waterways for transport

all the way down to the Persian Gulf it was kind of depicted in small

and if you look carefully  at the picture you will see

that in the surface of the known world there are these rings drawn

with little bits of cuneiform inside those

and those tell you the name of the city which it represents or sometimes the tribe.

So you have, encapsulated in this circular diagram

the whole of the known world in which people lived, flourished and died.

However...

there's more to this map than that

because if you look at the outer ring

you will see that going off at  different angles are triangles

sometimes people say they are islands

sometimes people say they are districts

but in point of fact they are  almost certainly mountains

because the idea is that  if you go across the water

you see these jutted, pointed  things, above the horizon

which are remote lands far beyond the limits of the known world

which go out in different directions  from the perimeter of existence

and they are, for the Babylonians... places full of magic, and full of mystery.

Now when you look at the  diagram, sort of geometrically

it is evident there were originally eight of them.

And we can be sure of this, partly by calculation of what makes sense

and also, on the other side, the inscription which I showed you before

tells you what is on each of those triangles.

There was a place where the sun was never seen

there was a tree that had jewels instead of fruit

and there were giant birds that couldn't fly

all those sorts of things

there were traditional stories associated with each of these districts

recorded together with the  diagram to show where they were.

Well, of course probably nobody ever went there

we're talking about the imaginative world

of cosmology, of theology, of  tradition, of inherited ideas...

But the thing is this

up until quite recently, we didn't know which description on one side

went with which triangle on the front.

And this is an irksome matter because we know there's supposed to be eight

but there was nowhere near eight on there

so we had to work out which place

the three which we could read clearly  matched up with the descriptions on the back

and it wasn't really possible.

And then something happened

one of those missing triangles

came to light in the collection.

Now, in the 19th century

when tablets were excavated

they were very careful to bring back everything.

So, a big lump of clay

any small bits lying around it

any small bits not lying around it

anything they could find with writing on was carefully, carefully excavated.

And sometimes the very small pieces

which we couldn't join to  anything were put in special trays

for the long-term future when it might be  possible to see what we could do about them.

Now what happened, was this...

Once upon a time...

There was a lady called Edith Horsley.

And Edith Horsley loved cuneiform stuff

and she came to classes that  I used to teach after work

once a week to learn about cuneiform

and she was very very enthusiastic about it

and very attentive, and a good student.

And when the class came to  an end after several months

she said she wanted to do something more...

For as long as anyone can remember, this  has been a map with a central piece missing

but from today, no longer.

Nicholas Glass reports on an unexpected moment of  archaeological excitement in The British Museum.

The British Museum has boxes of tablet fragments,  but it's only in the last two months or so

when Edith Horsley was first  invited to work at the museum

that they began trying to sort things out.

Well even as a child I was intrigued by  the signs that are used in cuneiform.

but it wasn't until I attended Irving  Finkel's lectures that I became an addict.

As a volunteer, Edith comes in just once a week

she was asked to keep an eye out for any piece  with a geographical or astronomical image on it.

I saw this quite small piece  with this triangle on it, 

and the signs inside

and I thought it was probably a map.

So I put it in the little section where I put  the pieces that I think are of special interest

'cause Dr. Finkel can't go through  all of these trays obviously.

So I put those aside and he became quite excited when he saw it.

She put aside a little pile of half a dozen  pieces that didn't look like everything else

and I went through them one by one

and she said "look, this  one's got some lines on it"

and as soon as I saw it I knew  it must belong to this tablet

because as I say, it's such an unusual thing.

It's actually rather funny  because the map wasn't in  

its normal place it was downstairs on exhibition

and so I got out an old photograph of it

and the photograph was at a different scale

so when I put the fragment on the  photograph I was sure that it must  

belong but I couldn't quite see where it would fit

and it was only the following morning that I  

took the fragment downstairs to the  exhibition where it's on public view

and by looking at the original tablet I  

could see straight away that it  fitted perfectly in the hole.

And it did.

And as a matter of fact, when I put it in  experimentally in the gallery in front of Edith

we couldn't get it out again  afterwards, it was such a snug fit

and it had to go down to conservation to be  dealt with properly and glued in position.

So, having opened a bottle of bubbly and danced around in the gallery

the time came to think very  seriously about what this meant.

Because the tablet is very famous

it's often reproduced in all  sorts of different encyclopedias

and books about ancient ideas,  and histories of maps of course

and it's quite a famous object, and to make  a join to that was an extraordinary thing.

But then there was the question  of what did it tell us...

Against one of the diagonals, there was in  cuneiform, the expression "The Great Wall"

I'm going to read you what the  scribe tells us about this triangle.

"To the fifth, to which you  must travel seven leagues"

that means you have to row across the bitter river  

for seven leagues before you can  land at the foot of the mountain

"The Great Wall, its height is 840 cubits

its trees up to 120 cubits.

by day you can't see in front of  yourself, by night, lying on . . ."

it's still broken

"then you must go another seven  leagues in the sand and you must. . ."

There's always dot dot dots, because  nothing is perfectly preserved

but the important thing is, we  now know which of the triangles

goes with the description of this gigantic wall.

As a result of Edith's discovery, we've  got three of these triangles in a row

and that is a great boon, because you can imagine

if you have isolated triangles, trying to  match them to the description on the back

it's very difficult to get  anywhere seriously and reliably.

But when you've got three in a row

all you have to do is find three  descriptions in a row and it stands to reason

that you'll be able to somehow match them up

and that is what we did.

And the discovery was very clear once you realised

that the counting was  anti-clockwise, and not clockwise.

So, number four says "To the fourth,  to which you must travel seven leagues"

because it's like a kind of fairytale, everybody  knows it's always the same introduction

so each time you have to travel  seven leagues across the water.

Then it gets a bit broken,  

then it says you see something which  "are as thick as a parsiktu-vessel"

This parsiktu measurement, is something to  an Assyriologist which makes their ears prick

and the fact is it's only once  otherwise known from cuneiform tablets

and it's rather an interesting  cuneiform tablet too.

Because it is the description of the Ark

which was built, theoretically, in about 1800BC

by the Babylonian version of Noah

and in this account, the details are given

and the God says "you have  to do this, this and this"

and then the Babylonian Noah says "I did this,  

this and this. I've done it! And I made  these structures as thick parsiktu vessel"

he says out of his own  mouth, in the original story.

So this word 'parsiktu' is like a kind of

[RINGING NOISE] noise

it immediately locks into this thing on the map.

Immediately, and incontrovertibly.

So what it means, speaking plainly here

if I may speak plainly here

is that if you went up this mountain all the way

with your sandwiches, and breaking regularly for

[INHALES]

lungfuls of fresh air

eventually you would see against the night  sky, or the dark sky of the outer universe

silhouetted, the ribs, the ribs made of wood

as thick as a parsiktu vessel

of the wreck of the Babylonian Ark

which, like the one in the Bible,  came to rest on a mountain.

And if you come down the mountain, and  cross over the water back to the homeland

the first place you come to is called  'Urartu', it's drawn on the map.

Now, the interesting thing  about that is that in the Bible

Noah, in his Ark, landed on a  mountain where the name is 'Ararat'

and 'Ararat' is the Hebrew  equivalent of the Assyrian 'Urartu'.

That's quite a meaty thing, quite  an interesting thing to think about.

Because it shows that the story was the  same, and of course that one led to the other

but also, that from the Babylonian point  of view, this was a matter of fact thing.

That if you did go on this journey

you would see the remnants of this historic boat

which saved all the life of the  world for the long-term future,  

from which we of course profit today

still there, in the crags, against the dark sky.

So what does this actually mean to us?

Well, lets imagine that we can borrow a time  machine and go back to Ancient Mesopotamia

I've always thought this was a good idea,  we'll have a party, we'll all go together.

And when we get there somebody might  say "Any idea where the Ark is?"

and I'll go "We have the map! Here it is!  and in fact it's THERE! That's where it is."

And what we have to do is get  in our rowing boat, off we go

and we will see it for ourselves.

So although it is a map which  would not encourage you perhaps

And what we have to do is get in our rowing boat,  off we go, and we will see it for ourselves.

So although this is a map which  would not encourage you perhaps  

to moat across Iraq today in a land rover

when it comes to operating beyond  the limits of the known world,  

into the world of imagination, it’s indispensable.

So, for the first time we can pronounce  with authority, that if we were an ancient  

Babylonian we would know where to go to  see the remains of that wonderful boat.

But then there’s the actual  question of who wove it together?

Well it’s often the case with cuneiform  tablets that at the bottom of the reverse  

there’s a bit that tells you the name of  the scribe, what’s called the colophon.  

And unfortunately, the scribe’s name is  broken. There’s no trace of it left.

But, his father’s name is  there. Because in Babylonia,  

they always said, "Mr. So-and-So,  son of Mr. So-and-So." And the dad  

was called Iṣṣuru. Now ‘Iṣṣuru’ is  the Babylonian word for ‘bird’.

Now this is rather an interesting thing, because  we know all about peoples names in Mesopotamia.  

They usually meant something intelligible  like ‘Servant of Such and Such a God’,  

or ‘She’s Beautiful Beyond  Compare’ – no one is called  

Bird. There’s no other case of a person  called Bird, it’s not a very good name!

So what does that mean?

You look at this for the first time in the  museum case, which I hope you will now do,  

and peer through and make out the  details, you would think “Ah! I see,  

it’s a sort of birds-eye view of the world!”  Well I think that’s what it is. It’s a Birdy  

Birdy family, and this is a birds-eye view of  the known world and what lies beyond it.

So that gives it a special kind of warmth  of understanding. Because its failings as  

it were from a cartographical  point of view are irrelevant,  

it is not what they’re interested in.

And it’s given us a tremendous insight  into many aspects of Mesopotamian thinking,  

it’s also a triumphant demonstration of  what happens when you have a very small  

totally uninformative and useless fragment  of dead boring writing that no one can  

understand and you join it onto something  in the collection which is much bigger

and a whole new adventure begins all over again! Hey you! Cuneiform nerd! Do you want some more  

cuneiform? Of course you do. Below is  a playlist full of all the videos we’ve  

ever made concerning cuneiform, and you  can see in the top left corner right now  

a preview of the next episode of Curator’s  Corner, which also covers cuneiform.

We are going to the ancient Sumerian city of  Girsu in southern Iraq, where Sebastien Rey will  

talk you through two bricks that were found  in the same building. That’s pretty normal,  

buildings are made of bricks. The weird  thing is, is that these bricks were made  

1500 years apart from each other, but were  in the same building. Also, crazy thing,  

Sebastien’s excavated both of these bricks,  but one of those bricks has been excavated  

twice previously. And the first time it  was excavated was 2300 years ago!

Archaeology is weird.