People I (Mostly) Admire 169. Decoding the World’s First Writing
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Oct 25, 2025 
Irving Finkel, a renowned curator at the British Museum and expert on cuneiform, shares riveting insights about the world's first writing system. He reveals how an ancient clay tablet unearthed details about Noah's ark, igniting controversy with some religious groups. Finkel explains the emergence of writing in Mesopotamia, the deciphering of cuneiform through linguistics, and the fascinating connections between Mesopotamian flood narratives and biblical texts. His account is a captivating blend of archaeology, history, and the complexities of cultural narratives.
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How Cuneiform Began And Evolved
- Cuneiform is the earliest known writing, developed in ancient Mesopotamia around 3500 BC.
- It evolved from pictographs into a syllabic system that could record multiple languages across the region.
Rapid Spread After The Big Idea
- Writing likely spread quickly once its principle was demonstrated, driven by administrative needs and storytellers.
- Exceptional individuals accelerated invention and adaptation across cultures.
Writing Fueled Early Accounting
- Early writing rapidly enabled numeration and bookkeeping in Mesopotamia, supporting city-state administration.
- Recording quantities and totals led directly to early accounting and state resource management.
