The 4000-year-old brick that archaeologists keep re-excavating | Curator's Corner S9 Ep6

Summary

In this archaeological exploration, Sébastien Rey from the British Museum uncovers the layered history of a brick excavated at Tello, ancient Girsu. The brick, dating back to the Sumerian civilization, was unearthed by de Sarzec in the 19th century and again by Rey's team in 2016. The script delves into the temple of Ningirsu, built by King Gudea, and the mysterious Hellenistic shrine that reused Sumerian bricks, revealing a connection between Alexander the Great and ancient Sumerian gods. The narrative highlights the complexities and serendipities of archaeological discovery.

Takeaways

• 🧱 A brick from the ancient Sumerian city of Girsu was excavated three times: once by the British Museum in 2016, once by Ernest de Sarzec in the late 19th century, and once by Alexander the Great's workers in the 4th century BC.
• 🗣️ Sébastien Rey, the curator of ancient Mesopotamia at the British Museum, introduces the audience to the archaeological site of Tello, ancient Girsu, in southern Iraq, highlighting its significance as a world heritage site.
• 🏺 The city of Girsu was abandoned around the beginning of the second millennium BC and remained untouched until Ernest de Sarzec's excavations began in 1877, which uncovered numerous Sumerian artifacts.
• 🕵️‍♂️ Sarzec's excavations led to the discovery of a building made with fire bricks, some of which had inscriptions in Sumerian, Aramaic, and Greek, posing a puzzle for archaeologists.
• 🏛️ In 2016, the British Museum's team, led by Rey, resumed excavations at Tello with the aim to stabilize the site and uncover new areas to answer lingering questions.
• 👥 The team's work involved rebuilding the foundations of the Bridge of Girsu, the oldest bridge in the world, and rescuing objects discarded during previous excavations.
• 🔍 The 2016 excavations led to the discovery of the temple of Ningirsu, built by King Gudea in the late 3rd millennium BC, which had been missed by Sarzec due to its deeper location.
• 📜 The script explains the significance of the inscriptions on the Sumerian bricks, detailing the roles of the gods Ningirsu and Enlil, and the king Gudea's role as the representative of Ningirsu.
• 🔗 The script suggests that a priest named Adad-nadin-akhe, during Alexander the Great's time, may have been involved in an early form of archaeology, reusing Sumerian bricks to build a shrine dedicated to both Herakles and Ningirsu.
• 🔑 The discovery of a coin minted after Alexander's conquest, featuring Herakles and Zeus, helped unlock the meaning behind the name Adad-nadin-akhe and the function of the Hellenistic shrine.

Q & A

What is the significance of the brick mentioned in the script?

The brick is significant because it was excavated three times by different parties: by Sébastien Rey's team in 2016, by Ernest de Sarzec in the late-19th century, and by workers of Alexander the Great at the end of the 4th century BC. This highlights the enduring interest in archaeological sites and the layers of history they contain.

Who is Sébastien Rey and what is his role?

Sébastien Rey is the curator of ancient Mesopotamia at the British Museum. He is the narrator of the script and provides insights into the archaeological site of Tello, the ancient Sumerian city of Girsu, and its history.

What is the historical importance of Girsu?

Girsu is historically important as it is one of the great treasures of Iraq and a world heritage site. It revealed the existence of the Sumerian civilization to the world more than 140 years ago.

Who was King Gudea and what is his connection to Girsu?

King Gudea was a ruler of the city of Girsu around the end of the third millennium BC. He is known for building one of the greatest temples of ancient Mesopotamia dedicated to the god Ningirsu.

Why was the city of Girsu abandoned?

The city of Girsu was abandoned at the very beginning of the second millennium BC and remained completely abandoned for about 1,200 years until the excavations by Ernest de Sarzec began in 1877.

What was Ernest de Sarzec's contribution to the understanding of Girsu?

Ernest de Sarzec was a French diplomat who initiated excavations at Tello in 1877. He discovered many important objects from the Sumerian times, including statues, inscriptions, clay nails, and bricks, which greatly contributed to the understanding of the Sumerian civilization.

What was the mystery surrounding the bricks with different inscriptions found in the same building?

The mystery was that some bricks in the building had inscriptions commemorating the building of the shrine for the god Ningirsu, while others had inscriptions in Aramaic and Greek, written about 1,500 years after the reign of Gudea. This raised questions about how bricks from such different time periods ended up in the same structure.

What was the purpose of the British Museum's decision to reopen excavations at Tello in 2016?

The British Museum decided to reopen excavations at Tello to stabilize and save the site from further damage, rescue objects discarded during previous excavations, and to make new discoveries that could answer unresolved questions from the past.

What was the significance of the temple of Ningirsu discovered in 2016?

The temple of Ningirsu was significant because it was built by Gudea in the late 3rd millennium BC and had not been found by Sarzec due to its location deeper underground. Its discovery provided new insights into the Sumerian civilization and raised further questions about the building Sarzec had excavated.

Who was Adad-nadin-akhe and what role did he play in the history of Girsu?

Adad-nadin-akhe was a priest during the time of Alexander the Great's conquest. It is believed that he was sent to Girsu to excavate the buried temple of Ningirsu and built a shrine dedicated to both Herakles and Ningirsu, reusing bricks from the original Sumerian temple.

What was the function and meaning of the building constructed in the Hellenistic period?

The building constructed in the Hellenistic period served to honor the ancestral past of the Sumerian times and to link Alexander to the ancient Sumerians. It was a shrine dedicated to Herakles and Ningirsu, displaying the statue of King Gudea within it.

What is the significance of the name Adad-nadin-akhe and how was its meaning revealed?

The name Adad-nadin-akhe, which means 'The storm or thunder god Adad; the giver of the two brothers', was revealed to refer to the two brothers Heracles and Ningirsu, and Alexander. This was unlocked by the discovery of a coin featuring Herakles on one side and the storm god Zeus on the other, symbolizing the connection between these figures.

What is the 'magic of archaeology' referred to in the script?

The 'magic of archaeology' refers to the ability to uncover and understand layers of history through excavations, such as the repeated discoveries of the same objects over different periods, and the ongoing process of making new discoveries and solving historical mysteries.