Original cuneiform translations recommended over popular interpretations

October 22, 2025Theory

Source: Ancient Civilizations & Nature of Reality FULL Lecture | Matthew LaCroix, Paul Wallis by Matthew LaCroix

Assyriologists are the qualified experts on cuneiform texts. George Smith's 1876 work was foundational for its time, though modern scholarly consensus relies on updated translations. Note: Zechariah Sitchin did not know how to read cuneiform or Sumerian. Popular interpretations blend fact with fiction.

Key facts

George Smith's 1876 translations are recommended as the most accurate
Zechariah Sitchin did not know how to read cuneiform or Sumerian
Assyriologists are the qualified experts on ancient cuneiform texts
Popular interpretations blend factual inscriptions with invented content

Sources

“I Am the First Man to Read That!” | by George Dillard | Mediumworldhistory.medium.com

George Smith knew that many other fascinating texts lay in the ruins of Assyrian palaces, and parlayed his newfound prominence — the Prime ...

George Smith | Babylonian Archaeology, Cuneiform Texts, Epic of ...britannica.com

George Smith was an English Assyriologist and archaeologist who became the first person to translate the Epic of Gilgamesh and its version ...

Ancient Knowledge Networks - Project MUSEmuse.jhu.edu

Since at least the 1850s Assyriologists have been editing and analysing the many cuneiform tablets that show us how ancient think- ers observed ...

Episode 49. George Smith: the man behind the headlines: transcriptwedgepod.org

In December 1872, a young assyriologist named George Smith shared what he thought was an exciting discovery. The rest of the world agreed. He made headlines ...

George Smith - Linda Hall Librarylindahall.org

George Smith, an English Assyriologist, died Aug. 19, 1876, at the age of just 36. Smith had essentially no schooling and worked as a printer's ...

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