Ancient Ghosts
- Written by Dr Robert Radakovic
- Published on 30th July 2023 by Ancient Ghosts | UK Paranormal Society
People’s belief in ghosts and spirits, and reports of paranormal phenomena, date back millennia to the most ancient of cultures. In this article, we look at the oldest recorded references to ghosts found across the world’s early societies – from Mesopotamia to Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire.
The Most Ancient Ghosts – 400,000 to 3,000 BCE
Evidence for a belief in some form of spiritual survival after physical death, and a reverence for the memory of the departed can be seen in prehistoric cave paintings from many parts of the world. [1] Also, corpses being buried in deliberately built graves indicates a level of respect and significance regarding bodily death. This practice was undertaken by Neanderthals from some time as far back as 400,000 years ago up until their apparent demise around 40,000 BCE. This was also the case for early Homo Sapiens, who coexisted with Neanderthals for a number of millennia, from approximately 50,000 years ago. By this time grave goods were also found with the skeletal remains, further suggesting honouring of the dead. [2]
The first irrefutable mention of ghosts in the annals of history is circa 3,000 BCE, around five thousand years ago. It appears on an example of the oldest comprehensible writing in the world, the Mesopotamian cuneiform (wedge-shaped) script written on clay tablets in what is now Iraq. [3] At precisely what point in time between prehistoric cave paintings and this first documented mention of ghosts such a spiritual concept developed is, of course, impossible to ascertain now. Ancient Mesopotamian ghosts were known as gidim and can be found in the most important literary work of the period, The Epic of Gilgamesh. [4]
