The First Ghost Stories

Here is a fascinating video about the first ghost stories that have been found by archaeologists. The ideas, notions and emotions that connect with ghost stories and provide a link to loved ones (or not so loved ones) that have passed on – connect to very strong elements of storytelling that exist within the human psyche and are part of our evolution.

Ghosts have played a strong role in many famous works of literature, from Shakespeare to Dickens, and if you wish to read on this in more detail please see – A concise history of Ghosts and famous accounts in literature

Dr Ivring Finkel provides an in-depth account of the records we have of the first ghost stories, where these stories occurred, and further insights into this most intriguing subject.

Further Info from the Youtube Video:

Learn how the near-universal belief in ghosts goes back to the beginning of time. Discover how the oldest known writing, in cuneiform script on tablets of clay, gives us a full picture of the ancient Mesopotamian ghost experience: who might be expected to be a ghost, how to keep the dead happy in the netherworld, how to banish annoying ghosts that keep appearing and how to summon the dead to come back and disclose the future. Thanks to the Iraqi American Community for their support in sharing this event.

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