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The Ark Before Noah

Decoding the Story of the Flood

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The Ark Before Noah

By: Dr Irving Finkel
Narrated by: Dr Irving Finkel
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About this listen

In The Ark Before Noah, British Museum expert Dr Irving Finkel reveals how decoding the symbols on a 4,000 year old piece of clay enable a radical new interpretation of the Noah's Ark myth.

A world authority on the period, Dr Finkel's enthralling real-life detective story began with a most remarkable event at the British Museum - the arrival one day in 2008 of a single, modest-sized Babylonian cuneiform tablet - the palm-sized clay rectangles on which our ancestors created the first documents.

It had been brought in by a member of the public and this particular tablet proved to be of quite extraordinary importance. Not only does it date from about 1850 BC, but it is a copy of the Babylonian Story of the Flood, a myth from ancient Mesopotamia revealing, among other things, instructions for building a large boat to survive a flood.

But Dr Finkel's pioneering work didn't stop there. Through another series of enthralling discoveries he has been able to decode the story of the Flood in ways which offer unanticipated revelations to listeners of The Ark Before Noah.

©2014 Irving Finkel (P)2014 Hodder & Stoughton Ancient Ancient History

Critic Reviews

"The charged thrill of Finkel's chase permeates the book - the pages don't just join dots, they supply new pieces for a beautiful, Bronze-Age jigsaw-puzzle... Scholarly and droll, Finkel's writing is also eccentrically vivid... it is a joy." ( The Times)
"One of the most important human documents ever discovered... his conclusions will send ripples into the world of creationism and among ark hunters." ( The Guardian)
All stars
Most relevant  
Extraordinary research by an incredible academic who is not only fluent in many languages but has dedicated his life to the study of cuneiforms and their relevance to the human story. Absolutely mindblowing!

A must read

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Outstanding.
A very informative and illuminating listen. Dr Irving's delivery makes it easy to follow along an absorb. Thanks .

Excellent

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What other book might you compare The Ark Before Noah to, and why?

What about Irving Finkel’s performance did you like?

Dr. Finkel has taken a story as his subject that is often at he centre of acrimonious debate and made the protagonists real people. People I can imagine caring about and who might care about me.

He has an obvious deep understanding and love of his subject that he is able to project through his writing and performance, in a way that is both gentle and appreciative, the humanity of all the story tellers, scribes, scholars and spear carriers (whatever their cultures) who have had a stake in the "Flood" narrative.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened in bed, while preparing breakfast, in the car as I commuted and on headphones as I worked.

Any additional comments?

I hope Dr. Finkle's sister recovered from the blow to the head without long term damage.

Irving Finkel can read the phone book to me.

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Dr Finkel at his best, bringing ancient Mesopotamia to life with his usual impishness. Even if you’re not terribly interested in cuneiform, biblical narratives or ancient Mesopotamia, Dr Finkel’s narrative is compelling enough in its own right to warrant listening to.

Lively, insightful book

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This book is a gem for anyone interested in ancient languages, ancient writing, legends, history - the world of thousands of years ago, the artefacts in museums, and the assiduous work of scholars who tirelessly pore over pottery and papyrus fragments and, on their most joyous (but rare) days, succeed in putting tiny pieces together and filling a gap in the record. Dr Finkel narrates the book in his lively, scholarly, twinkle-in-the-eye manner which adds another layer of delight for the listener. Although he is the only narrator listed, excerpts from ancient texts are in another voice which is a very effective way of delineating the quotes from Dr Finkel's writing. A fascinating and eye-opening book.

Wonderful - but probably not for everybody

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