Scientists have finally deciphered an ancient Babylonian artifact and say its inscription points to the location of Noah’s Ark.
It took years to uncover the meaning of the 3,000-year-old clay tablet known as the Imago Mundi.
“This is the oldest map in the world,” said Dr. Irving Finkel, curator and cuneiform expert at the British Museum.
The artifact features a script with wedge-shaped symbols called cuneiform and archaeologists have been puzzled for years about its meaning.
But after months of intensive study, scientists now believe the carvings make a clear reference to the Bible.
“It’s got two sides, it’s the front or ‘reverse’ and it’s the back or ‘upside down’ and the back side of it has a lot of cuneiform lines in different ruled sections,” Finkel explained. “So it’s full of information, even though it’s a little damaged.”
Finkel says the map shows ancient Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq, bordered by the “Bitter River”. The river represented by the double ring indicates the extent of the known world of the Babylonians.
“It’s a very important ring of water because it meant for the Babylonians, they had a kind of idea of the boundaries of their world where they lived in about the 6th century BC,” he said.
The map also contained a secret key to show travelers what route they should take on the water and what things to look out for along the way.
Finkel shares that one passage instructs travelers to pass “seven leagues to see something as thick as a parsiktu-vessel”.
The term “parasiktu” is used to refer to the size of ship needed to survive a major flood.
Again, Finkel notes, the artwork refers to “Urartu” and has specific instructions on how to get there.
It reads, “To the fourth, where you must travel seven leagues.”
Researchers believe that “Urartu”, also known as Ararat, is linked to an ancient Mesopotamian poem about a man and his family who set sail after a 150-day flood. Was.
“The first place you come to is called ‘Urartu’, it’s depicted on the map. Now, the interesting thing about this is that in the Bible Noah, in his ark, landed on a mountain called ‘Ararat ‘ And ‘Ararat’ is the Hebrew equivalent of the Assyrian ‘Urartu’, that’s quite an interesting thing to think about because it shows that the story was the same, and certainly one gave rise to the other. , but also. From Babylon’s point of view, it was a factual thing,” Finkel said.
He added, “If you took this trip, you would see the remains of this historic boat that saved all the lives of people in the world for the long term future.”
The Babylonian version of the story closely follows the Biblical description of Noah’s Ark.
“In this account, the details are given and God says ‘You are to do this, this and this’ and then the Babylonian Noah says ‘I did this, this and this. I did this!’ “Finkel explained. “And I made these structures in the form of thick Parasiku pots.”
According to the Babylonian version, the man loads his ship with animals and after a flood reaches safely one of the peaks of Urartu, in what is known as modern Turkey.
“So, for the first time we can say with authority that if we were ancient Babylonians we would know where to go to see the remains of that amazing ark,” Finkel said.
Some researchers question whether the structures in Türkiye are natural or built.
Dr. Andrew Snelling, a geologist at the University of Sydney who has studied floods, previously said Mount Ararat could not be the location of the ark, adding that the mountain was not formed until flood waters receded, The Jerusalem Post. Noted.
The Babylonian artifact was discovered in the Middle East and acquired by the British Museum in 1882, where it is currently on display.
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