The Babylonian mind 

I am addicted to Irving Finkels lectures. If you haven’t seen him talk non-scripted you are missing a rare treat.

The British Museum needs to find a way for someone to do a series on ancient times and Dr Finkel MUST be the host.

This guy. He's my favorite curator.

Irving Finkel - British Museum... simply a national treasure!

as an Iraqi he fills my heart with warmth and he taught me valuble facts about ancient Iraq. You won't belive this though, long time ago we used to have picnics near the ruins and it was vey usual to find a brick with cuneiform writing on it and i actually found one my self and being no Finkel i couldn't read it, I'd love to have the clocks go back just to transcribe that writing (not easy) on a peace of paper to show it to Professor Irving Finkel

If curating was an Olympic discipline, M.Finkel would be the gold medalist for decades!

every time I see Curator Finkel, I half expect him to pull a wand from his sleeve and conduct a class on magical lore. apparently he's moved beyond the need for one. I don't think i'll ever forget his description of finding a pre Noah description of the Biblical flood,

It's fascinating how Dr. Finkel himself evolved over the years. He seems to be used to the camera much more now. ^^ I could watch and listen to him forever!

The babylonions and Sumerian history should be taught more intensive in school history classes,

The first ever star catalogue "Registry of the Triple Stars" also comes from Babylonians. I'm proud to be their descendent, hope to continue their work and study Astrophysics ... I suffer to get a visa though because I'm a Syrian seeker of freedom and asylum.

People had forgotten that Pythagoras as well as other famous mathematicians and philosophers(sages could be said) traveled to places like Babilon, Persepolis and Egypt(perhaps the indus valley as well?) for their formal education. They adapted/adopted? what they learnt to their world. Almost all the scientific/technical knowledge from the ancient world had been lost to time, image if somebody had continued the work of Hero in steam machines circa 4 century B.C!

This vid is alright, But Irving is best when he speaks in his own way. You can tell they made him talk "serious".

Wow. This channel is a hidden jewel on RU-vid. Amazing work!

Only he could make ancient history so interesting & relevant to today!

If we all had of had teachers like Me Fenkel NOBODY would have ever wanted to stop their education!!!!

i could listen to him for days

9 years later.. in my recommended list. I'm cool with that.

🎊🎊🎊 *IRVING!* 🎊🎊🎊 The STAR of the British Museum!

I learned more from Babylon in these 3 mins. than my college courses...

As a Church Minister - I found this helpful especially since I'm preaching through the book of Daniel on the Lord's day mornings in our church. Thank you.

60 is an inheritance from babylonian times, unbelievable

would be nice to see the rest of this presentation.

Irving Finkel is my hero

More Babylonian history please!

This was so amazing, I actually got goosebumps. Well done!

I ❤️ this guy!!! You go Irving!!

Beards are unsanitary , normal things like a sneeze, a cough, or blowing ones nose rapidly become a disgusting mess. Taking a meal means smearing in bits of food every time you wipe your mouth with a napkin. I tried to grow a beard. At first it was attractive and fun. Later it became infested with "stuff." Shampooing it everyday only lasted until that first sneeze. Beards are extremely unsanitary.

A base 60 number system is a phenominally useful number base! (The rest of this comment is just singing the praises of managable anti-primes.) Our baee 10 system gets complicated very quickly. How many meters are in a third of a kilometer? Already there are fractions or infinitely repeating decimals. And thirds are a tremendously common calculation. And then fourths are a lesser but still significant problem, adding up to two decimal places when you divide an integer by four. Base 60 handles all the fractions that base 10 handles halves and fifths just as well as base 10, plus handles thirds, fourths, sixths, and eighths just as easily as halves! You have to go all the way to sevenths to run into the first fractional complication. And dividing into sevenths is far rarer than dividing them into thirds. Sure, we could use some larger number like 420ths to be able to handle sevenths just as easily. And I expect at least one community would be stoked to try a base 420 number system. But there can be too much of that. The larger the number base, the more unique kinds of digits you have to have to express each digit. We might disagree about whether 10 digits is plenty or if 30 or 60 (maybe with some pattern to make them easier to learn) might be preferable, but I think we all agree that 420 digits is too many. There are some other advantages of our decimal system over a base-30 or base-60 system, and it's very much impractical and not worth the effort to change our system now. But if our system happened to have developed historically into a base 30 or 60 system instead of a base 10 system, I'd be just a little pleased. Mostly because of thirds.

I've always always ALWAYS wondered why we broke our time up into 60s instead of 10s! Eureka!

When you play civ 5 once

When someone has something worthwhile to tell us, please play music over his narration so that we bloody well can’t hear what he says.

thanks for the clocks Babylonians

So the Babylonians had people scamming other people with Horoscopes just like we do. Amazing.

I cant help but look at cuneiform and see similarities between the evolution of some characters (old Babylonian - Assyrian - new Babylonian) to ancient Chinese and Japanese characters. Is there a connection or influence, or just a common way that people evolved with writing. (There are some people in Japan who firmly believe the Persians once ruled the southern islands, or at least inhabited the region)

I desire 1 week vacation with Irving on subjects if my choosing. Aww!

Egyptians also had the nearly identical Zodiac, predating Babylon. You can see it in some temples, most specifically the ceiling Zodiac in Dendera.

The ancient Hindus were also astronomers, astrologists and very sophisticated thinkers. Isn't Sanskrit the oldest language? Anyone here know?

The reconstruction of the Ishtar gate presented in the beginning of this video is to be found in Berlin's Pergamon Museum. As soon as I learned about its existence in one of the countless popular science publications I've been reading avidly since my early childhood (owed to my literature and various world mythologies-loving sister, I learned to read at the age of 3 or 4). I was so taken by the sheer splendor of this structure that emanated even just from a magazine photo, I managed to save up enough money to travel to Berlin first and foremost (as significant and wondrous other attractions and historical monuments of that splendid city are) to witness its greatness in person and with my own eyes in the Summer of 2012. This was my first travel to Germany, but starting from that journey, I kept coming back to that country, wondering about other of its great cities, wanting to experience more and more of its culture and hertitage. In 2017 I eventually decided to take the great step of moving to Germany permanently and settle in Düsseldorf, which I found close to my heart for many more reasons I won't dwell on here and now. What I'm trying to say here, is that I owe the Ishtar Gate the great and wonderful change of my fate and my current life, and the happiness and retreat from the sadness and misery of my life I lived in the country I was fated to be born in and that caused me nothing but disappointment and pain, which name I'd rather not mention here. Thank you, Ishtar and your glorious monument.

I love this man the grand dad we all want

it's weird hearing him speak so calmly and formally. I'm so used to his newer more charismatic persona from Curators Corner and that video where he plays an ancient Sumerian boardgame with another RU-vid personality

There are Ice Age paintings of Taurus in French caves. No, I don't just mean a bull: the Pleiades are also present. This means at least one of the signs of the zodiac is much, much older than Babylon, or indeed any city anywhere. Here is a link: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/871930.stm.

Divination on gall bladders, how primitive. But I suppose you can't expect much from a civilization that didn't have tea leaves.

Irving Finkel like Babylonia is simply superb

Waaahhh, he can do a tranquil soothing voice over! Wunderful! Great!

Who would have thougth he would be able to speak so calm like this.

Babylonian Death Cults were intetesting and important to learn about too - not to be repeated.

Dr Finkel is a great teacher. I wonder if he has ever thought of writing a broad popular history of the culture, mythology, society and mental landscape of the Babylonians (or the Mesopotamians in general)?

Telecaste 10 th August, 2010. RU-vid recommends 10 years later in 2019,12th October. Why so early utube?

Time on your watch is base 6- it lasted so long because in many ways it's easier than base 10. In our system 1/3 * 3 has two answers and that's messy. The Babylonians avoided this by using 6 instead. Very clever.

Mesopotamia gave us the Zodiac constellations. The Sun signs are different because the constellations are uneven in length, but the sun signs are all 30 degrees.

Hi Mr Finkel it's me again. I didn't go to the doctor's. I've noticed something again. The Sumerian World Map. I've just discovered that it aligns with the Antarctic as it's centre using a 17th century French map. I'm on Facebook were you can see the images. Strange but other images pop out from the Sumerian World Map stone artifact. Someone sitting at a wheel and someone on a chariot and a strange looking wee guy with wings ? Anyways back to the hauntings from our ancent ancestors wanting their story told. Smashing. Yours Peter Forbes.

Are you sure the ancient Babylonians came up with 60 time not the ancient Assyrians

Mr Finklel i'm glad to have met you and to The British Museum. The last couple of years i have took the time to look at ancient artefacts in general from all around the world. I've been thinking about some of the things I've noticed or i should say shown by ? someone or many someone's guiding me. i know this sounds crazy, but why pick a dumb-ass like me, who has been, if anything, nothing but a failure. what is it they want me to say ? i think they want their story told, about who they were, the things they done, and the part they played when it all ended they want their place in time and their accounts in history. Not markers or places named after them were the fell. Nut's, yeah ? Sorry Mr Finkel if it was to be anyone in this world that could help them they should have chosen you. maybe i need to go see a doctor. thanks for teaching me cuneiform. something special about you. yours peter

This guy, He's my favorite guy!

Interesting man and channel.

"and the thinkers and the writers and the poets and the mathematicians of that ancient culture"

It is my understanding that the Greek Zodiac grew out of the Babylonian "Furrow of Heaven," or as some called it, "the Circle of the Signs." With the "Furrow of Heaven" being the pathway of the Moon and the Zodiac being the pathway of the Sun.

Highly Esteemed British Museum! Highly Honorable Mister Finkel! I have a question to ask, actually, two questions: 1. As it is known Jacob married Leah and Rachel. The marriage did take place at the territory of Ashur (Assyria). Is it known according to which tradition the marriage procedure did take place? Were there the witnesses who were signing the marriage contract, along with Jacob - Leah and Jacob - Rachel? And, thus, becoming the proprietors / co owners of the marriage contract and the ensuing merger of wealth. In effect conducting / realizing potentially the control of this property. Are there any historical records on who those witnesses were? Is it possible that those witnesses were Laban and / or Beor (Peor). Was Balaam born already at that time. Was he (could he be) the witness at those marriage rituals??? If these were the instances of de facto, - could it be (the aspiration and asserting - maintaining the control of the Jewish wealth by the Laban progeny) the source of the modern times anti Semitism??? 2. In time of yore were there ever times, when there was the voluntary - Good Will confederation (or the united state) between Shimron - Samaria (Northern Kingdom) and Ashur (Assyria)? Please, confirm.

Team Irving!

If the concept of time today is based on the ancient Babylonian mathematical system of 60. Minute, Houre. And the year is based on 4 seasons in which each season is 4 months long and the cycle of rejuvenation begins in April, and April 1st is the begining of the new year which the Babylonians celebrated why is it that today we celebrate the new year in January 1st which it does not make any sense, should the year not start in April?

Early in the video he talks about 60 base staying with us "somehow". But if you look closer you will notice that 10 base doesn't work well with spheres and circles.

...the 2 hidden repeating infinite patterns (of 60 & 24) inside the Golden Proportion (Phi) as manifested through the Fibonacci Series (when placed on the circumference of a circle) seems to be analogous to our concept of the clock & time. the ancient were fluent in math. i wonder if there is any evidence in the tablets of them "learning' the sexagesimal system directly FROM 'nature' in this same way? or any evidence where they DID first learn about the concepts of time in base 60 seconds minutes 24 hours ?

Irving, I'm late to the game, but you're my man, you're such a mensh, God bless you.

2:11 - At first I was afraid! I was petrified!

Actually the Babylonias inhereted what was,developed by the Sumerians....

Ok, who made Irving take a bunch of tranquilizers before making this video?

Incredible. What a culture.

I always thought that cuneiform was a Sumerian invention/development first, not from Babylon.

I wish there were a longer version of this.

The bbc needs to send Irvin to the middle east to check out some sites and cities.

No one will ever know as much as this man.

Surprised no mention of 360° angular measure. No physical record from Babylonians?

Titi is quite interesting how nebuchadnezzar from the bible is still hold significance till this day. It is also interesting to find that babylonians share similarities in terms of advicement in art mathematics poetry and arts. But it seems that babylonians were probably far more advanced using athe mathematical fomular 60 instead of present day were use 10.

This guy is always great!

So soft spoken .......lol I like it.

Proud of my culture !! Thank you 😊

I would love to sit in on his lectures anthropology or theology.🤔

Irf, you always dismiss the sanskriet text they had the sossa too but used the zero. Lingam yoni meaning 1 and 0. Astronomical Unit and more. And furthermore how come the vedas describe the asura which is egypt and mesoptamia. And why does sanskrt and and babylonian relate so much. Let me know when you do a show about the excavation of gilgamesh.

..."by the rivers of Babylon"...

I absolutely hate how they never talk about the use of drugs such as opium which was a huge factor in historic "arts"

What universities specialise in ancient Babylon?

Thought it was the Chaldeans with their 360 degree circle that gave us the system of 60s

Bring back French Decimal Time!!

Omg he sounds so young... and did his accent shift?

No mention of the Babylonian Talmud/Mishnah ? No Kabbalah, either...darn. When factoring these oral/written traditions, on a foundation of Kabbalah, & Gematria... *"All the world's a stage"😉*

If I'm 60 years old does that make me Babylonian?

When did anyone translate Babylonian? What do those writings say? Why won't anyone tell us?

Would you agree that the Babylonian numerals for 666 look very modern - like a rocket? First 11, one position to the left, < | Then behind that, but smaller than I can show here: III III Top and base of a rocket ...

Is the Baylonian language the same as or simillar to Sumerian and Assyrian or completely different?

So this dragon was the serpent before the Hebrew god cursed it to crawl on its belly. Sounds like xenophobia through moral stories. Hmmm. The more you learn. Dragon= Babylonian philosophy, God= Hebraic tradition Adam& Eve = Israel. Tree of life = Mesopotamia.

Did anyone elses video abruptly stop at 3:18?

it soon becomes clear that our attempts to nail a TRUTH whether it is theological, scientific, or metaphysical, can only be reduced to a narrative. so make it a good one, that resonates for a long time ..? At the same time we must admit that this narrative is at best a combination of speculation + probability resulting in an entanglement that is beyond words.

Too short video. 😢😢😢

Horuscope

New info .. thanks

the Babylonians had no 7, and they weren’t terribly 8, either.

King nebuchadnezzar PRAISES one true God of Daniel

Were the Babylonians flat earthers? The Maya, the Egyptians etc..

where is the rest?

They definitely did right by getting a Jewish curator