The Poor Man from Nippur

By Owain Williams

The Poor Man of Nippur is a story from ancient Mesopotamia, dated to 700 BC, recorded upon a number of tablets. Several fragmentary tablets were from the Library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh, but the main text comes from two tablets from Huzirina (modern Sultantepe). It tells of how a poor man, Gimil-Ninurta, whose name means ‘revenge of the God Ninurta’, takes revenge on the Mayor of Nippur after he took his goat. In 2018, the Assyriology department at Cambridge University made a short film of the story – all in ancient Babylonian! 

This was the world’s first film in ancient Babylonian. As such, the film was directed by Dr Martin Worthington, who was then a senior lecturer of Assyriology at Cambridge (and who, apparently, contributed to Marvel’s Eternals, which had scenes using Babylonian). Renowned Assyriologist James Kinnier Wilson provided the narration.

The film was acted by Assyriology students and members of Cambridge University’s Mesopotamian community and filmed at various colleges in Cambridge University, as well as the British Museum, Flag Fen Archaeology Park, and countryside near Grantchester.

It is so interesting to hear and to see Babylonian being spoken so fluently. It really brings the language to life!