Irving Finkel

Irving Finkel is the curator in charge of cuneiform inscriptions on tablets of clay from ancient Mesopotamia, of which the Middle East Department has the largest collection—some 130,000 pieces—of any modern museum. He specializes in ancient Mesopotamian medicine and magic, and he is also interested in literature, religion, and the history of ideas in this part of the world. He is interested in the history of board games throughout the world, especially the preservation of traditional board games in many non-Western societies. Irving is the author of several academic articles and books on ancient Babylon.