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The Gilgamesh Epic
The OLDEST KNOWN written Text.
The standard version was discovered in 1849
by Austen Henry Layard .
Translated into English in 1888.
This poem is the most popular piece of
literature in Mesopotamia, found in many
different languages and versions across 2500
years.
Overview of Early City of Uruk
This photo shows the ruins of one of the earliest Mesopotamian cities, a rich source
of art objects and fine architecture,. The best-known King of Uruk was the legendary
Gilgamesh.
Hirmer Verlag Munchen
How the Epic of Gilgamesh
Endured
• Stories of King Gilgamesh were told and handed
down for hundreds of years after his death.
• Finally the tales were written down by the 21st
century B.C.
• When the Babylonians conquered the
Sumerians, they “inherited” the Sumerian
cultural traditions.
• A Babylonian author created the start of the
unified Gilgamesh epic as we know it today.
Modifications to the Epic
• Other Babylonian writers modified the epic.
• They added the prologue and the flood story, as well as
emphasized the friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu.
• These writers also gave the narrative its central theme: the
search for immortality.
• By the 7th century B.C., a written version credited to Sin-liqiunnini was included in the library of the Assyrian king
Ashurbanipal.
How Did We Get the Story Today?
• After the fall of Babylon, the written epic was lost in the rubble.
• Archaeologist Austin Henry Layard excavated Ashurbanipal’s library
in the mid-1800s .
• Henry Rawlinson discovered and deciphered the poem on clay
tablets in cuneiform.
• George Smith then translated the 11th tablet containing the portion
of the epic describing a great flood, an account remarkably similar
to the story of Noah and the ark in the Bible.
The Prologue
Reading Together
-Comprehension Questions
- Active Reading
Comprehension Questions
• What is Gilgamesh’s City called?
• Is Gilgamesh a god or a man?
• Who are Shamash and Ishtar
How would you describe Gilgamesh?
Chapter 1
The Coming of Enkidu
Comprehension Questions
What kind of king is Gilgamesh at first? What is he supposed to be
like? (Look at what the people say he is not when they pray.) What
solution do the gods provide?
What kind of creature is Enkidu? How does he become fully
human? How does he become civilized? (What does this suggest
about human nature and sexuality?)
When he has become a full human being, what does Enkidu decide
to do?
How do Gilgamesh and Enkidu become friends?