World's Oldest ghost drawing discovered on ancient Babylonian tablet in British Museum

The world's oldest ghost drawing is thought to have been discovered at the British Museum on an ancient Babylonian clay tablet. The bearded spirit being led into the afterlife by a 'lover' on the 3,500-year-old Babylonian tablet was identified by researchers after it had sat in the museum's vaults since the 19th century, according to a report published in The Guardian.

Dr Irving Finkel, the curator of the British Museum's Middle Eastern department, told the news outlet that the absolutely spectacular object had been overlooked until recently. It was part of an exorcist's guide to getting rid of unwanted ghosts, according to Finkel, because the back of the Babylonian tablet contains extensive instructions for dealing with such a situation.

Finkel told The Guardian, “It’s obviously a male ghost and he’s miserable. You can imagine a tall, thin, bearded ghost hanging about the house did get on people’s nerves. The final analysis was that what this ghost needed was a lover.”

The male ghost walks with his arms outstretched and his wrists tied by a rope held by a female on the front of the broken tablet. The back of the clay tablet includes a description of the ritual that will send the unwanted ghost to the underworld, as well as a warning: “Do not look behind you!” It's quite comic that someone thinks they can get rid of a ghost by giving them a bedfellow, Dr Irving Finkel, told The Guardian.

The tablet could be part of a magic library in an exorcist's house or in a temple

Finkel believes the tablet was part of a magic library in an exorcist's house or in a temple. Just in time for Halloween, the ghost drawing has appeared. Its discovery is detailed in Finkel's upcoming book, The First Ghosts: Most Ancient of Legacies, which will be published by Hodder & Stoughton on November 11th.

The museum has never displayed the tablet in public, but Finkel told The Guardian that he hopes to display the Babylonian tablet, noting that such a relic brings us closer to our forefathers. He further added that all the fears, weaknesses, and characteristics that make the human race so fascinating were almost certainly present in spades 3,500 years ago.

Image: BritishMuseusm