Epic of Gilgamesh

Section A: Identification (5 marks)Identify the period in world literature that is described in the following statements.

____________1.Sentimental novels became mainstream.

____________2.There was a resurgence of learning based on classical sources.

____________3.Thoughts and writings were turned to nature for self-fulfilment.

____________4.It was when all western canons began.

____________5.This period started from the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

Section B: Completion (10 marks)Fill in the blanks. Choose from the pool of words provided.

MesopotamiaDeath of WatersEnlilEnkidusnake

EaUrukAnuUtnapishtimCedar Forest

IshtarUrshanabiAruru

A mighty King of (1) _____________________, Gilgamesh, was two-thirds god and one-third man. Although he was godlike in body and mind, he began his kingship as a cruel leader. He accomplished his buildings with forced labour, and his exhausted subjects groaned under his oppression. (2) _____________________, the god of firmament, heard the peoples plea and asked (3) ________________________, goddess of creation, to create a wild man named Enkidu. When the wild man went to the city and found Gilgamesh forcing his way to a wedding, he stepped into the doorway and blocked the passage. The two men wrestle fiercely for a long time, and Gilgamesh finally prevailed. After that, they became friends. The two friends decided to steal trees from the distant (5) _______________________ which was forbidden to mortals. They fought and killed the terrifying demon guardian of the forest, (6) ______________________, the devoted servant of (7) ________________________, the god of earth, wind and air. Enkidu fell ill and died. The heartbroken Gilgamesh vowed not to share the same fate as his friend, so he decided to go find (8) ________________________, the Mesopotamian Noah. After the flood, the gods had granted the ancient man eternal life, and Gilgamesh hoped that the ancient man could tell him how he might avoid death too. (9) _______________________, the ferryman, took Gilgamesh on the boat journey across the sea through the Waters of Death to meet the ancient man. The ancient man told the Gilgamesh the story of the flood how the gods met and decided to destroy humankind. (10) ___________________, the god of wisdom warned the ancient man about the gods plan and told him to fashion a gigantic boat in which is family and the seed of the living creature might escape. The ancient man was rewarded with eternal life. When Gilgamesh insisted that he must be allowed to live forever, the ancient man gave him a test. He must stay awake for a week, but Gilgamesh failed the test miserably. Just as Gilgamesh was departing, the ancient man told him about a miraculous plant that restored youth. Gilgamesh found the plant, but a snake stole it from him as he was resting from his tiring adventure.

Section C: Comprehension (6 marks)Read the passage carefully, and then answer the questions that follow. Answers must be in full sentences.

As the Roman Empire declined, imperial regnal year dating became sloppy, but remained the norm for 400 years in Christian Church circles. Use of consular dating ended when the emperor Justinian I discontinued appointing consuls in the mid-6th century. The last consul nominated was Anicius Albinus Basillius in 541. The Papacy was in regular contact throughout the Middle Ages with envoys of the Byzantine world, and had a clear idea sudden deaths and deposals nothwithstanding of who was the Byzantine Emperor at any one time. The Anno Domini system was developed by a monk named Dionysus Exiguus (a Scythian) in Rome in 525, as an outcome of his work on calculating the date of Easter. Byzantine chroniclers like Theophanes continued to date each year in their world chronicles on a different and much more popular Judaeo-Christian basis from the notional creation of the World as calculated by Christian scholars in the five centuries of the Christian era. These eras, sometimes called Anno Mundi, year of the world (abbreviated AM), by modern scholars, had their own disagreements. The most popular formulation was that established by Eusebius of Caesarea, a historian at the time of Constantine I. The Latin translator Jerome had made a comparison of Eusebius with certain dates deduced from the Old Testament which helped popularise Eusebiuss AM count in the West. Almost all Biblical scholars believe that Dionysus was incorrect in his calculation, and that the date claimed for Jesus birth was between 8 BC and 4 BC. The latest bound for the birth of Christ is the death of Herod the Great which occurred in 4 BC

(extract from Wikipedia, by Jimmy Wales)

1. What type of historical source does the above extract belong to?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. (a) What does the term Anno Domini (paragraph 2 line 1) mean?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________(b) What is its abbreviation?_________________________________________________________________________________(c) How do you write the hundredth year with the term Anno Domini?_________________________________________________________________________________

3. What does B.C. (paragraph 3) stand for?_________________________________________________________________________________

4. What is another term used to replace B.C.?_________________________________________________________________________________

Section D: Choose the letter that best describes the statements in each number. (4 marks)A if the first statement is correct and the second statement is wrongB if the first statement is wrong and the second statement is correctC if both statements are correctD if both statements are wrong

__________1.The Epic of Gilgamesh was written on 12 complete Sumerian-language tablets found in mid-1th century. These tablets where found by Hormuzd Rassam at Nineveh in the library of Assyrian king Ashurbanipal.

__________2.The historian writes out an account of what he thinks has happened in the past based on the evidences he collected. The archaeologist looks for evidence through excavation

__________3.The epic heroes doubt their skills and capacities to carry out the task. However, they are forced to carry out the adventure despite their refusal.

__________4.Maps, photographs, cave drawings and paintings left behind by the people in the past are considered to be primary sources. Primary sources are evidences provided by people who have not been involved in the event in the past.

Section E: Discuss the following. (15 marks)

1. The symbol of the ring in The Lord of the Ring and how the ring develops the theme of the story (5 marks)___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. The reason why Gilgamesh wanted immortality and whether he was able to achieve immortality (5 marks) ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. The contributions of Sumerian civilisation (5 marks)___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________