Irving Finkel, A Wizard at the British Museum

It was after watching Bettany Hugh’s program about Atlantis (BBC 2010) that I first came across the Assyriologist Irving Finkel. His enthusiasm and belief in Gilgamesh was the perfect match for Hugh’s belief that Thera (Santorini) was the place that Plato had been writing about. With his flowing grey beard he certainly looked the part. It seems fashion is now catching up with him in this age of the hipster. Could it be that the inspiration for his iconic look came from George Smith, another British Museum Assyriologist. He was the curator who first translated the Chaldaen account of the Great Flood tablet in 1872. Of Finkel also followed in his footsteps with his own account of the deluge laid out in his book “The Flood Before Noah” (a fascinating book).

George Smith 1840-1876

Here are some clips from The British Museum that show his obvious love of his subject.
In this first clip he explains the actual Tower of Babel

In this one he describes the relevance of the Babylonians

This clip interested me because it brought me back to my childhood. I remember my mum buying me a copy of the game of Ur from the British Museum.

Long may he continue to enthuse people down at Great Russel Street!