Ирвинг Финкель — новинки

Ghosts - the spirits of the dead - have walked by our side since time immemorial. In The First Ghosts, author Irving Finkel looks at ghosts from a standpoint quite different to that of most spectral literature. Drawing on evidence from the very earliest pre-human archaeology and the very earliest writing and literature, Finkel suggests that belief in and experience of ghosts emerges as a central component of humanity since its inception.

История Ковчега, построенного Ноем для спасения от Потопа, известна современному человечеству из библейской Книги Бытия. Однако существуют гораздо более древние версии сказания о Потопе - клинописные, которых до недавнего времени было известно три. В книге "Ковчег до Ноя" описывается история обнаружения и расшифровки так называемой "Таблички Ковчега" - четвертой версии мифа о По-
топе, датированной II тыс. до н. э.; излагаются технические аспекты строительства ковчега; проводится сравнение месопотамских версий сказания о Потопе с библейской и коранической версиями; исследуется вопрос о месте конечной остановки Ковчега согласно различным ближневосточным традициям.
Автор книги Ирвинг Финкель - британский ассириолог, ассистент-хранитель клинописной коллекции Отдела Ближнего Востока Британского музея.

Издание предназначено для ассириологов, историков Древнего Востока, историков литературы, историков техники, библеистов, религиоведов, философов, богословов и для всех, кто интересуется историей и культурой Древнего мира.

Originating before 3000 DC, cuneiform script is, as far as we know, the oldest form of writing in the world. The choice of clay as writing medium in ancient Mesopotamia meant that records of all kinds could survive down to modern times, preserving fascinating documents from ancient civilization, written by a variety of people and societies. From reading these tablets we can understand not only the history and economics of the time but also the beliefs, ideas and superstitions of people from the past.
This new book will bring the world in which the cuneiform was written to life, revealing how ancient inscriptions can lead to a new way of thinking about the past. It will explain how this pre-alphabetic writing really worked and how it was used to record so many different languages so long ago.
Richly illustrated with a wealth of fresh examples ranging from scribbled school exercises to beautifully calligraphic literature for the royal library, we meet people who aren't so very different from ourselves. For the first time cuneiform tablets and their messages are not remote and inaccessible, but wonderfully human documents that resonate today.
This short introduction is the perfect guide to this ancient script and understanding the ancient past.

A charming and original illustrated story for children, following the adventures of the world’s most famous chessmen.

In this engaging story, Irving Finkel follows the many adventures of the chessmen after they came to light on a Scottish beach in the nineteenth century. It ends with the big surprise that befell them in September 1993, when they were all temporarily reunited for the first time since their separation, at a Special Exhibition of Chessmen at the British Museum.

Since the Victorian period, it has been understood that the story of Noah, iconic in the book of Genesis and a central motif in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, derives from a much older story that existed centuries before in ancient Babylon. But the relationship between the Babylonian and biblical traditions was shrouded in mystery. Then, in 2009, Irving Finkel, a curator at the British Museum and a world authority on ancient Mesopotamia, found himself playing detective when a member of the public arrived at the museum with an intriguing cuneiform tablet from a family collection. Not only did the tablet reveal a new version of the Babylonian Flood Story; the ancient poet described the size and completely unexpected shape of the ark, and gave detailed boatbuilding specifications. Decoding this ancient message wedge by cuneiform wedge, Dr. Finkel discovered where the Babylonians believed the ark came to rest and developed a new explanation of how the old story ultimately found its way into the Bible. In The Ark Before Noah, Dr. Finkel takes us on an adventurous voyage of discovery, opening the door to an enthralling world of ancient voices and new meanings.