Lex Fridman Podcast #487 · December 12, 2025 · 3h 45m

Deciphering Secrets of Ancient Civilizations & Flood Myths

Irving Finkel — British Museum curator who deciphers 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablets. Found the original flood story that predates the Bible's Noah by 1,000+ years. One of the most entertaining scholars alive — makes ancient Mesopotamia feel alive and relevant.

This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.

Highlights

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The flood story predates the Bible by 1,000+ years

Finkel found a Babylonian tablet with a flood story — including an ark and animals — that predates Genesis by over a millennium. The biblical version is a retelling.

Claude ChatGPT Gemini

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Ancient people were as intelligent as us — just with different information

Finkel argues against the assumption that ancient people were primitive. Same brains, different knowledge base.

Claude ChatGPT Gemini

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