Selena Wisnom

Lecturer in the Heritage of the Middle East @UniofLeicester. Researching ancient Mesopotamia. Playwright, poet, and Babylonian liver diviner.

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

I'm pleased to announce the launch of my new website! If you'd like to see what events I have lined up for the next few months or easily access my past projects and media appearances, please visit: https://t.co/lCV4ioEmkg

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

To learn cuneiform is to be initiated into the secrets of the universe - thanks to the Hay-goers who came to my workshop and took their first scribal steps!

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

@diana4hereford Thanks, and thanks for capturing it from the audience!

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

A thousand people came to my talk at Hay Festival yesterday and I was signing books for 40 minutes afterwards the queue was so long 😮
Thanks to everyone who came and I look forward to teaching more people cuneiform this afternoon!

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

The live liver divination predicted that Andy Burnham will win the election on June 18th. Also shout out to upper court farm butchery for delivering livers in such heat!

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

Finally got round to reading my friend @OskarCoxJensen’s debut novel and it did not disappoint. A rollicking murder mystery with a delightful charm - funny, entertaining, and highly recommended!

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

Thrilled to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and looking forward to getting involved! @RoyalHistSoc
https://t.co/n2YqN2Tv2N

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

Words of wisdom from the ancients

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

Marduk visits his ziggurat in Oxford (or: Jupiter visible over the Said Business School) @OxfordSBS @UniofOxford

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

@John4bricknell @ActionnaireRe Same here!

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

Good to see Oxford standing up for commas

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

Tickets:
The talk (event 224): The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of History
Wednesday 27 May 2026, 5.30pm https://t.co/ulqTaOOuRn
Learn to Write in Cuneiform, the World’s First Writing System (event 265)
Thursday 28 May 2026, 4pm
https://t.co/6OBcb2ojrl

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

I'm thrilled to let you know that I will participate in the Hay Festival this year - twice. On 27th May, I will discuss the literary culture of Mesopotamia and perform liver divination with my audience. The next day, I will teach you how to write in cuneiform!

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

You can also read the review online: https://t.co/LGdHZ4wvrY

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

A review of 'The Library of Ancient Wisdom' is featured in today's @DailyMail Book of the Week - and what a fun title! Thank you, Kathryn Hughes, for reviewing my book!

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

A review of 'The Library of Ancient Wisdom' is featured in today's @DailyMail Book of the Week - and what a fun title! Thank you, Kathryn Hughes, for reviewing my book!

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

It's paperback publication day! The paperback version of the Library of Ancient Wisdom is now available here and in all good bookstores:
https://t.co/Kh6MvO7Dx8

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

Do you want to learn cuneiform but don't know where to start?
Check out my website for a list of resources and some study materials that will help you get started!
In just a few weeks, you too can read the Hammurabi Code in the original!
https://t.co/0zxqm8I3Hw

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

But what were the laws for, and were they ever actually used? What do we know about Hammurabi as a person? And what happened to people accused of witchcraft in ancient Babylon? Tune in to find out! https://t.co/ltCdqQ3WZn

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

Tmr at 9 am, @BBCInOurTime episode on Hammurabi will be broadcast on Radio 4. Hammurabi was the king who turned Babylon from a backwater into a superpower. He's famous for his laws, inscribed on a beautiful stele now in the Louvre.

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

Had a fantastic time talking about Hammurabi @BBCInOurTime with Dr Frances Reynolds and Dr Martin Worthington! The episode comes out on 12th Feb at 9 am - do join us if you can!
https://t.co/gpYcFgjPGQ

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

Just signed up to @campaignforthearts.org. Arts funding in the UK is in crisis, but these good people are working hard to stand up for it, and amazingly are making real progress - please join! https://t.co/BKlbE5JfJR

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

We will look at firsts in world history, some of the most important people in Mesopotamia’s past, and the influence the region has had on the rest of the world.

[Selena Wisnom @LSWisnom]

My online course on Mesopotamia and the Making of History with @92NY has been moved to May. So there’s still plenty of time to sign up!
https://t.co/DzYDa2Txf3