The First Ghosts

A rich history of ancient ghosts and ghost stories from the British Museum curator

By: Irving Finkel

Narrated by: Irving Finkel

The must-read exploration of the earliest human ghost stories from leading expert Irvine Finkel, author of The Ark Before Noah

'It's enthralling stuff, mixing the scholarly with the accessible and placing storytelling right at the heart of the human experience.' - History Revealed

There are few things more in common across cultures than the belief in ghosts. Ghosts inhabit something of the very essence of what it is to be human. Whether we personally 'believe' or not, we are all aware of ghosts and the rich mythologies and rituals surrounding them. They have inspired, fascinated and frightened us for centuries - yet most of us are only familiar with the vengeful apparitions of Shakespeare, or the ghastly spectres haunting the pages of 19th century gothic literature. But their origins are much, much older...

The First Ghosts: Most Ancient of Legacies takes us back to the very beginning. A world-renowned authority on cuneiform, the form of writing on clay tablets which dates back to 3400BC, Irving Finkel has embarked upon an ancient ghost hunt, scouring these tablets to unlock the secrets of the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians to breathe new life into the first ghost stories ever written. In The First Ghosts, he uncovers an extraordinarily rich seam of ancient spirit wisdom which has remained hidden for nearly 4000 years, covering practical details of how to live with ghosts, how to get rid of them and bring them back, and how to avoid becoming one, as well as exploring more philosophical questions: what are ghosts, why does the idea of them remain so powerful despite the lack of concrete evidence, and what do they tell us about being human?©2021 Finkel Productions Limited

Lovingly told by an incomparable expert

Irving Finkel is one of the greatest experts in Mesopotamian writing, history and culture on Earth. He is the reason that we can , 4000 years after its inception, play the Royal Game of Ur as easily as monopoly. He shows an ability to interpret ancient writing in a manner that not only demonstrates erudition but which passes a common-sense sniff test as well.
This book centers on ancient conceptions of the afterlife , and more specifically those people who have been there and returned. We get detours to discuss related topics like immortality, divination, witchcraft etc. but tye focus is strongly on the spirits of the dead. Dr. Finkel always addresses the topic in terms of how the ancients would have understood their own surroundings- interpreting their concepts for the reader's comprehension, but never losing sight of the lived experience. This speaks to the author's obvious love of his subject. He relishes getting inside the hearts and minds of our bronze age predecessors. He has not just a grasp of their thought processes but a transparent affection for them. Finkel also clearly loves a good ghost story, not just from the perspective of an academic but the way that a grandfather might enjoy telling a campfire tale to some attentive children.
The book is narrated by Dr. Finkel who has a pleading delivery and a voice made for storytelling. The producers left in some takes where the author pauses mid sentence to take a long breath or swallow, and after a few of these instances it can grate slightly. I think a more attentive production team might have asked for some re-takes, but this is a minor quibble. Similarly, Dr. Finkel allows himself a few detours (giving a chapter over to identifying the name of a certain prince in a parable , using cross-comparison of several sources) that obviously fascinate him but may strain the attention of any non-Assyriologist listening. These are very much the exception not the rule.

In summary: the subject is fascinating, the author is one of history's greatest experts in the field, and the narration is a pleasure to listen to.

Ghostly enthusiasm

This book was very interesting and incredibly detailed. I enjoyed the in depth details. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves history and has a fascination with ghost.

MORE IRVING FINKEL PLEASE

This book was fantastic! if you are at all interested in ghosts or Mesopotamia, or ancient history writ large, The First Ghosts is a fantastic read.

Wonderful text and performance

Fantastic! Irving Finkel's voice is completely charming and well supplemented by the two voice actors in this fascinating analysis of early ghosts. Highly recommended.

Fascinating deep analysis of the earliest written ghost stories

Irving Finkel is a master of his subject and a passionate and humorous educator. He clearly demonstrates that human beings have been fascinated with ghosts for quite some time. This book goes deep but stays entertaining.