Speaking with the Dead: Ancient Necromancy

Speaking with the Dead: Ancient Necromancy

From After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal by History Hit

April 30, 2026 · 45 min · Episode 272

About this episode

This episode explores ancient necromancy practices in Mesopotamia and the reasons the living sought counsel from the dead.

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/ Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe .   You can take part in our listener survey here . All music from Epidemic Sounds. After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Anthony

Guest: Dr. Irving Finkel

Topics covered

  • necromancy
  • ancient practices
  • Mesopotamia
  • spirits
  • counsel from the dead

Keywords

  • necromancy
  • Mesopotamia
  • spirits
  • counsel
  • ancient practices

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: British Museum, History Hit, Epidemic Sounds

Books & works: Hoax

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