#487 – Irving Finkel: Deciphering Secrets of Ancient Civilizations & Flood Myths

About this episode

Irving Finkel is a scholar of ancient languages and a longtime curator at the British Museum, renowned for his expertise in Mesopotamian history and cuneiform writing. He specializes in reading and interpreting cuneiform inscriptions, including tablets from Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian contexts. He became widely known for studying a tablet with a Mesopotamian flood story that predates the biblical Noah narrative, which he presented in his book “The Ark Before Noah” and in a documentary that involved building a circular ark based on the tablet’s technical instructions. https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep487-sc Transcript: https://lexfridman.com/irving-finkel-transcript CONTACT LEX: Feedback – give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey AMA – submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama Hiring – join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring Other – other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact EPISODE LINKS: https://www.instagram.com/

Recent Episodes

a16z Podcast·Ep. 1044· 2821·Feb 26, 2026

Bloomberg's Odd Lots hosts Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway speak with David George, general partner at a16z and head of the firm's growth fund, about why $5 trillion in tech market cap now sits in the private markets, how that figure has grown 10x in a decade, and what it means for founders, employees, and investors. They also cover SPVs, tender offers, the collapse of legacy software valuations, and why AI companies may be speed-running the path to public markets. This episode originally aired on Bloomberg's Odd Lots podcast. Resources: Follow Joe Weisenthal: https://twitter.com/TheStalwart Follow Tracy Alloway: https://twitter.com/tracyalloway Follow David George: https://twitter.com/DavidGeorge83 Listen to Odd Lots: https://www.bloomberg.com/oddlots Stay Updated: Find a16z on YouTube: YouTube Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the conten

a16z Podcast·Ep. 1043· 6480·Feb 23, 2026

Moonshots host Peter Diamandis speaks with Ben Horowitz, cofounder and general partner at a16z, alongside regular cohosts Salim Ismail, Dave Blundin, and Dr. Alexander Wissner-Gross, about whether AI can or should be paused, what happened when Horowitz told a Biden administration official that regulating AI means regulating math, why crypto is the natural money for AI agents, and why the gap between AI capability and societal adoption may be wider than people think. This episode originally aired on Peter Diamandis's Moonshots podcast. Follow Peter H. Diamandis on X: https://x.com/PeterDiamandis Follow Ben Horowitz on X: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz Follow Salim Ismail on X: https://twitter.com/salimismail Follow Dave Blundin on X: https://twitter.com/DavidBlundin Follow Dr. Alexander Wissner-Gross on X: https://twitter.com/alexwg Listen to Moonshots: https://www.youtube.com/@peterdiamandis Stay Updated: Find a16z on YouTube: YouTube Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to the a

The Pentagon vs. Anthropic + An A.I. Agent Slandered Me + Hot Mess Express

Hard Fork·Ep. 181· 3849·Feb 20, 2026

This week, Anthropic is refusing to let the government use the company’s technology for autonomous weapons and domestic surveillance. In response, the Pentagon is threatening to cut business ties and declare Anthropic a “supply chain risk.” Who will blink first? Then, Scott Shambaugh joins us to tell the strange tale of the autonomous A.I. agent that wrote a hit piece about him. And finally, the Hot Mess Express returns to the station. Guest: Scott Shambaugh, engineer and writer of “An A.I. Agent Published a Hit Piece on Me” Additional Reading: Defense Department and Anthropic Square Off in Dispute Over A.I. Safety Ring Cancels Its Partnership With Flock Safety After Surveillance Backlash Meta Plans to Add Facial Recognition Technology to Its Smart Glasses Japan’s Largest Toilet Maker Is Undervalued A.I. Play, Says Activist Investor ‘It Is 35 Degrees’: Outrage as Aussie Uber Driver Charges $5 to Turn on Air Conditioning Unit During Heatwave Meta Patented an A.I. That Lets You Keep Post

#487 – Irving Finkel: Deciphering Secrets of Ancient Civilizations & Flood Myths

About this episode

Recent Episodes

The Pentagon vs. Anthropic + An A.I. Agent Slandered Me + Hot Mess Express

Patrick Collison on Stripe’s Early Choices, Smalltalk, and What Comes After Coding

When Giants Don’t Go Public: Inside the $5 Trillion Private Tech Market

Ben Horowitz: RSI, Crypto as AI Money, & Classified Physics