Oldest World Map, Dating Back 2,900 Years, Stuns Researchers With Its Composition

The British Museum, renowned for its extensive collection of global artifacts and ancient remnants, recently showcased a remarkable historical find in a YouTube video. Titled “the oldest map of the world in the world,” the artifact was introduced by Irving Finkel, a philologist, assyriologist, and curator in the museum's Middle East department. The video offers viewers an incredible journey through this ancient piece of history

“The Babylonian map of the world is the oldest map of the world. Written and inscribed on clay in Mesopotamia around 2,900-years-ago, it is, like so many cuneiform tablets, incomplete. However, Irving Finkel and a particularly gifted student of his - Edith Horsley - managed to locate a missing piece of the map, slot it back into the cuneiform tablet, and from there set us all on journey through the somewhat mythical landscape of Mesopotamia to find the final resting place of the ark. And yes we mean that ark, as in Noah's ark. Although in the earlier Mesopotamian version of the flood story, the ark is built by Ziusudra,” reads the caption posted along with the video.

In the video, Finkel uses a replica of the original map. He explains why the map is made of clay. As the video progresses, he divulges deep into the map's details and what it shows.

Take a look at the video here:

The video has crossed 140,000 views, drawing a range of reactions from YouTubers. While some expressed amazement at the ancient map, others praised the host’s presentation. A few viewers even responded with humor in their comments.

“I really wanted him to bite it like a cookie,” joked one person. “Wow, I love this,” commented another.

A third expressed, “This is one of the best videos I've ever seen on YouTube. Finkel's storytelling ability is unparalleled. And the production team did a superb job adding to the magic with the graphics.”