Speaking with the Dead: Ancient Necromancy

Speaking with the Dead: Ancient Necromancy

In Ancient Mesopotamia, the boundary between the living and the dead was not always fixed... some even believed it could be crossed. But why would the living seek counsel from the dead? How common were these practices? And what answers did people hope the spirits might reveal?


In this episode, Anthony is joined by the brilliant Dr. Irving Finkel! Irving is a returning guest and Curator in the Department of Middle East at the British Museum. Be sure to check out our other episode with Irving, Earliest Evidence of Ghosts...


Edited by Hannah Feodorov and Anna Brant. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.


For tickets to see Anthony and Maddy talking about her new book, Hoax, click here: https://www.conwayhall.org.uk/whats-on/event/hoax/


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All music from Epidemic Sounds.


After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.

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Episoder(273)

Dark Side of Prehistoric Britain

Dark Side of Prehistoric Britain

Across prehistoric Britain people raised vast stone circles, buried their dead in monumental tombs, and left offerings in rivers and bogs. Archaeologists have uncovered skeletons bearing signs of viol...

27 Apr 43min

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

On a summer day in Sarajevo in 1914, a young man fired two rounds of his pistol in the middle of the street, killing a Royal couple... He didn't know it then, but his actions would cause a chain react...

23 Apr 49min

Titanic's Biggest Myths Debunked

Titanic's Biggest Myths Debunked

Is it true that third-class passengers were locked below decks? Or that more lifeboats would have saved more lives? Did the band really play as the Titanic went down? Anthony is joined once again by t...

20 Apr 57min

The Murder that Shook Mary Queen of Scots

The Murder that Shook Mary Queen of Scots

On the night of Saturday the 9th of March, 1566, a pregnant Mary Queen of Scots was having a dinner party.It was a night that ended in the brutal murder of one of her closest friends, David Rizzio, le...

16 Apr 47min

The Victorian Sex Scandal of Fanny & Stella

The Victorian Sex Scandal of Fanny & Stella

The Victorians are seen as the ultimate guardians of rigid gender boundaries.When Fanny Park and Stella Boulton transgressed those imagined lines, they triggered a scandal that reached the length and ...

13 Apr 58min

Henry VIII's Descent into Darkness

Henry VIII's Descent into Darkness

He's known as one of history's most murderous kings, but was he always a monster? Or was he acting in ways expected of a king during his time.Joining Anthony as special guest co-host is author and his...

9 Apr 49min

The Victorian Era's Wildest Murder

The Victorian Era's Wildest Murder

It was one of the most gruesome crimes of the Victorian era... and it ended up in David Attenborough's garden! Kate Webster, a servant, killed and dismembered her mistress, Julia Martha Thomas in 1879...

6 Apr 40min

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