3,500-year-old Babylonian tablet may contain oldest known image of a ghost

A tablet made in ancient Babylon around 1500 BC. This may be the first known depiction of a ghost, a leading expert on ancient Middle Eastern inscriptions claims in a new book. The clay tablet is part of an exorcism manual kept in the collections of the British Museum, Dalya Alberge reports for the Observer. Irving Finkel, curator of the Middle East at the Museum of London and author of the forthcoming book The First Ghosts: The Oldest Heritage, said the image on the plaque is only visible when viewed from a distance. above and below the lights. The museum acquired this artifact in the 19th century, but it has never been displayed. “You would probably never think about it, because the area where the drawings are located doesn't appear to have any writing on it,” Finkel told the Observer.As Patrick Pester reports for Live Science, at least half of them are missing. But the item still contains carefully detailed instructions for removing the pesky ghosts.

The instructions ask the exorcist to make figurines of a man and a woman; Prepare two barrels of beer; and at sunrise, say ritual words invoking the Mesopotamian god Shamash, who is responsible for sending ghosts to the underworld. Finkel said the idea is to transfer the ghost into one of the figurines. The last line of the text urges the reader to “don't look back!” » This warning is probably intended to guide the characters entering the underworld, but it may also be aimed at the exorcist. According to Finkel, the drawing was most likely done by a master craftsman highly skilled in clay painting. The tablet may be kept in the exorcist's library or in a temple. Finkel told Amah-Rose Abrams of Artnet News that he decided to write the new book after reading a ghost story that began in the 18th century. “I suddenly thought, “Oh, what about our business?” And Mesopotamia? " he say. The scholar explains: In early civilizations like Mesopotamia, people were expected to encounter ghosts. According to History.com, the ancient chroniclers Pliny, Lucian, and Plautus all mentioned ghosts in their writings; some observers even left instructions on how to remove certain types of spirits. The Babylonian Stele in the new book focuses specifically on getting rid of an elderly male ghost by having a young woman lead him to the underworld. “It was clearly a male ghost and he was unhappy,” Finkel told the Observer. “…You can't help but imagine what happened before. “Oh my God, Uncle Henry is back. “Uncle Henry probably lost three wives. One thing everyone knows is that the best way to get rid of this old man is to marry him off. There's nothing fanciful about reading that. It's kind of a clear message. There is very high quality writing and impeccable drawing here. Early ghosts also depict objects such as bronze amulets used to ward off ghosts and rituals, at least one of which involved a human skull. In a 2018 British Museum video, Finkel said ancient Mesopotamians relied on burial rituals to prevent the dead from coming back to life. Ghosts who cannot rest forever are often considered objects of sympathy. “So there is a whole school of magic that specializes in appeasing ghosts and bringing them back to where they belong without any further problems,” he added. Joshua J. Mark wrote for the World Historical Encyclopedia in 2014 that all major ancient civilizations had beliefs regarding the survival of souls after physical death. In many cases, these souls belong to the realm of the dead but can return to the world of the living. for inappropriate reasons. funeral rites or unfinished business. Ghost stories with similar themes can be found in ancient China, Central America, Egypt, India, Greece, Ireland, Scotland and Rome. In Mesopotamia, spirits could return as ghosts that manifested as illness in the living. Doctors urged people suffering from these diseases to confess any sins that could cause death before treating them with charms to appease the ghosts. Despite his field of study, Finkel himself had no personal experience with souls. “I want to see a ghost. I've never seen one. That makes me very uncomfortable,” he said in the video.