Irving Finkel – The First Ghosts – Ways With Words, Southwold 2021

Ghosts have inspired, fascinated and frightened us for centuries - yet most of us are only familiar with the vengeful apparitions of Shakespeare or the spectres of 19th century gothic literature. But their origins are much older. Irving Finkel, British Museum's authority on cuneiform, explores ancient clay tablets dating from 3400BC and breathes new life into the first ghost stories ever written and explores philosophical questions such as what are ghosts and why does the idea of them remain so powerful?