We found a lost temple using maths sent by an ancient Sumerian god | Curator's Corner w. Matt Parker

Thanks again to Matt Parker for taking on so many ancient unit fractions. If you've found us through Matt's video on the mathematical pa-π-rus we think you'll like these 2 videos: Learn to read ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs with Ilona Regulski: https://youtu.be/LwZB0MsXCjQ Watch the whole process of excavating cuneiform tablets from Girsu: https://youtu.be/dwGmyy2Aabg

If I were one of the archaeologists on the site when they found out that the second hole showed exactly what they predicted, I think I would have exploded. This is such a pleasing thing to see.

Such a brilliant video! Some years ago, the BM invited subscribers to vote on how they would like to see the BM increase its outreach - and I voted for small vids, from curators, about special objects in their collections. Each and every one is pure gold - but as an architect this just hit my sweet spot. Beautiful guys - many many thanks!

"To make things function as they should" … now that is a maxim today's world should be acting upon. Thank you very much for this video.

‘To make things function as they should’. Thank you, Sumerians. Thank you, Sebastien and Matt. Mathematically proportioned buildings are immensely pleasing. I need more of this sort of thing.

"order out of chaos" is the definition of creation in the Ancient Near East Creation Stories.

Seeing the plans, and specifically the ruler, it makes me think of the beginning of engineering professor Bill Hammack's book "The Things We Make". In it he describes how the engineering method was used to build structures like cathedrals, when the architects may not have knows about the specific structural integrity of their building materials, but by deriving rules based on simple math like this, structures can be built that don't fall over under their own weight.

6:25 Matt switching from counting the tally’s to the gaps really highlights the later point about the evolution of numbers just existing to count physical things into objects that you can act on themselves

For the interested, I encourage serious students to read these fairly easy books on the origins of the Sumerian numerical systems and their link to mathematics. They also show the link to sedentary agriculture, and solar calendars. Schmandt-Besserat, Denise 1992 "Before Writing Volume I: From counting to cuneiform" Austin: University of Texas Press Dalley, Stephanie 2000 “Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others, Revised” Oxford University Press Black, Jeremy, Anthony Green, Tessa Rickards (illustrator) 2003 "Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia" Austin: University of Texas Press. The religious interpretations of solar observation led to the orientation of building walls, streets, etc...

I'm honestly seriously tempted to get a tattoo of the Sumerian "to make things function as they should", but I'm afraid to find out in ten years that it actually means "sesame chicken" or "property of he Louvre".

A religion that determined that mathematics was the language of the gods and of a universal order 4000 years ago. Uh...my mouth is still hanging open after watching THIS VIDEO!

Hello you beautiful maths nerds! If you're here early, you might want to check out Matt's video with curator Ilona Regulski on the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus first. Matt's video is premiering at 4pm BST (so 30 mins before ours). But make sure to come back here at 4.30 BST sharpish to catch another major dosage of ancient mathsy goodness. You can join Matt's premier here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_qbIsltNmQ EDITED: 4.30 was reading as a timecode for the video so changed colon to a full stop. Silly YouTube.

The God, Ningirsu is literally the wall of the temple embodying the numbers of the Gods. This wall is the barrier that keeps wild animals from entering into the inner sanctuary.

4:00 "it was revealed to me in a dream"

Just incredible, beautiful research, amazing results from the cradle of modern culture....Thank you for showing us.❤

In Zoroastrianism, there is Asha, which is the order of the world that must always be maintained. Whoever is against Asha and promotes chaos is Ahriman and must be fought to maintain Asha and keep the world in order. The building is very similar to Persepolis in Persia/Iran.

Wonderful to see harmony. It helps one believe in our ancestors for more than just worship.

I didn't expect this crossover. Fantastic.

The scale of the ruler to the temple seems to be close to 1:360. Considering that they used base 60 it is appropriate.

This video is brilliant. Maths, archeology, ancient history, ancient mythology, all combined into one. I think there could be no better temple to Ninurta than this one. And yes, that is another name for Ningîrsu. Thank you, thank you very much for this :)