It is not often that one gets to be in the presence of a truly brilliant mind, but on Tuesday 25th April, that is exactly what an intrepid group of time travellers were treated to.
As part of the Prep School’s ‘Inspiring Minds’ lecture series, Dr Irving Finkel; Philologist, Assyriologist and Assistant Keeper of Ancient Mesopotamian script, languages and cultures in the British Museum, took parents and children alike to the lands of ancient civilisations. Dr Finkel is a specialist in cuneiform inscriptions and through his translation of these, he opened the audiences’ eyes on a section of the past that is incredibly influential but rarely studied. Reading seemingly indecipherable marks and patterns from tablets of clay may seem barren terrain from which to ‘inspire minds’; however it was anything but! Dr Finkel was entertaining; thought provoking; enlightening and just really good fun.
All of those that attended really were inspired to understand the lessons that can be learned from the past and applied to the present. However, more importantly, the children attending saw what it was truly like to be passionate about doing what you do and everyone saw that learning just for the love of it, is a wonderful thing.
Please keep your eyes out for the next ‘Inspiring Minds’ lecture – they are definitely not to be missed.
