World’s oldest picture of a 'ghost' discovered in the UK

The world’s ancient picture of a spirit was found in the British Museum on Saturday, October 17, 2021. The illustration was discovered on an old tablet from Babylonia, which was built around 3,500 years ago.

A man's ghost having his wrists tied by a rope and getting escorted by a woman pulling the rope is depicted in the picture. It is claimed to be a method to remove undesirable spirits by recognizing what pulled them back to life, which is symbolized here as a ghost looking for a companion.

The tablet was probably an exorcist's handbook to getting rid of unwelcome spirits, according to Dr. Irving Finkel, Middle Eastern department caretaker at the British Museum. According to the claim, half of the tablet is absent, and the other half is big enough to fit inside the palm of a human hand. On the other side of the tablet, there are directions about what to do if a ghost pursues a person, which include constructing sculptures of a man and woman.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina said two years ago that they had uncovered data indicating the legitimacy of the Babylonian Conquest of Jerusalem in 587/586 BCE, including arrowheads, Iron Age potsherds, and gems.

Researchers excavated a part of Jerusalem's city wall that was destroyed by the Babylonians during that war in July, as well as multiple items that provide an insight into ordinary routine in Jerusalem when the wall was still there, such as pots and pans bits.