Oldest depiction of a ghost

The oldest drawing of a ghost is the figure of an old male ghost being led back down into the Underworld by a female, engraved on a Babylonian clay tablet c. 2,500 years ago. The image and its cuneiform description forms part of a guide to exorcising ghosts and was deciphered by Dr Irving Finkel, Curator in the Middle Eastern department at the British Museum for his book The First Ghosts: Most Ancient of Legacies.

The British Museum took receipt of the tablet (BM 47817) on 3 November 1883. Dating to the 4th century BCE, the clay piece is small enough to fit into the palm of the hand. It is incomplete, having been damaged during its recovery, but clearly reveals it purpose as an instruction manual for conveying restless spirits back to the Underworld. Its scribe, Marduk-apla-iddin, prescribes a spell and ritual that must be performed in order to rid the inflicted of their ghostly tormentor; accompanying the text is the engraving of a thin, bearded man whose wrists are shackled and tied by rope firmly held by a female figure, his magical lover with whom he should live happily ever after.