Subvolts take Explore ancient flood myths and deciphering lost languages with a British Museum expert. Dec 12, 2025 - Everyday users
- Learn about ancient history, lost languages, and the origins of foundational human stories.
This is a solid interview with a renowned expert discussing ancient history and linguistics, offering historical context.
#487 – Irving Finkel: Deciphering Secrets of Ancient Civilizations & Flood Myths
Audio streams from Lex Fridman. Your place is remembered on this device.
From Subvolts
Summary and analysis by Subvolts editorial, AI-assisted.
Lex Fridman interviews Irving Finkel, a British Museum curator and ancient languages scholar. Finkel discusses deciphering ancient civilizations, particularly Mesopotamian cuneiform writing. He is known for his work on flood myths that predate the biblical Noah story, detailed in his book "The Ark Before Noah," and for building a circular ark based on ancient instructions.
This episode features an expert who reads ancient writings, like those from Mesopotamia. He talks about old stories, including flood myths that are much older than Noah's story. It's like uncovering secrets from thousands of years ago.
This episode offers a deep dive into ancient history and linguistics, connecting to AI through the lens of information preservation and interpretation. Finkel's work on deciphering complex ancient texts mirrors the challenges AI faces in understanding and processing vast amounts of data. Listeners interested in the origins of human knowledge and storytelling will find value. While not directly about current AI models, it explores the fundamental human drive to record and understand, a core aspect of AI development.
- HostLex Fridman
- GuestIrving FinkelCurator and Scholar of Ancient Languages, British Museum
- Guest: Irving Finkel
- Show: Lex Fridman Podcast
- Episode Title: 487 – Irving Finkel: Deciphering Secrets of Ancient Civilizations & Flood Myths
- Guest's Role: Curator at the British Museum
- Guest's Expertise: Ancient languages and cuneiform writing
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-sc
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://shopify.com/lex
Miro: Online collaborative whiteboard platform.
Go to https://miro.com/
Chevron: Reliable energy for data centers.
Go to https://chevron.com/power
LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix.
Go to https://drinkLMNT.com/lex
AG1: All-in-one daily nutrition drink.
Go to https://drinkag1.com/lex
OUTLINE:
(00:00) – Introduction
(00:43) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections
(09:53) – Origins of human la
- cuneiform
- Irving Finkel
- an ancient system of writing using wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets.
- Mesopotamian
- Irving Finkel
- relating to an ancient region in western Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
#500 – Khabib Nurmagomedov: Dagestan, MMA, UFC, Islam, Conor, Fedor & Football
WithKhabib Nurmagomedov
4 h 24#496 – FFmpeg: The Incredible Technology Behind Video on the Internet
WithJean-Baptiste Kempf, Kieran Kunhya
Questions people ask
- Who is Irving Finkel?
- Irving Finkel is a scholar of ancient languages and a curator at the British Museum, specializing in Mesopotamian history and cuneiform writing.
- What is "The Ark Before Noah" about?
- It discusses a Mesopotamian flood story that predates the biblical Noah narrative and details technical instructions for building a circular ark.
Page generated Oct 19, 2026. Summaries are Subvolts' own; the audio, artwork and notes belong to Lex Fridman.