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TRANSCRIPT
The Epic of Gilgamesh
History
• Mesopotamia, 1900–
250 B.C.E.
• Gilgamesh, priest-
king of Uruk
• written in cuneiform
• Ur
• revised in Babylonian
The Work
• 12 Clay Tablets
Written in Akkadian and Semitic Languages (Hebrew and Arabic)
• Found in all Languages Written in Cuneiform
• Story Evolved over 1000 years
• Story Vanished –Names of Cities and People Disappeared
http://www.usfca.edu/westciv/Mesochro.htmld
Gilgamesh
• Gilgamesh was reintroduced to the
world when a portion of it,
Utnapishtim„s Story of the Flood, upon
which the biblical story of the flood is
based1, was accidentally discovered in
1872. Written 4000 years ago
• Since then, tablets containing other
parts of Gilgamesh have been found at
sites throughout the Middle East in
various cuneiform languages.
1. This is the opinion of the editors of Norton and thus
should be taken as just that—an opinion
Gilgamesh
• It is “an epic” like the Iliad,
the Odyssey and Beowulf.
– A long narrative poem
– Done in formal style
– About an extraordinary hero. . .
– who represents his culture.
Ur
Cuneiform
• wedge-shaped script
• 2100 B.C.E.
• clay tablets
• Sumerians
• length
• content: historic, mythic
• motifs
• divine intervention
• heroic flaw
• orality and performance, writing
• language
Elements of Epic Writing
• death and friendship
• nature and civilization
• power and violence
• travel and homecoming
• love and sexuality
• physical and intellectual journeys
Binary Themes
Flood Myths
Consider the etymology of the name
“Gilgamesh” (“the old man is still a young
man” OR “the offspring is a hero”). Is
Gilgamesh‟s name significant, despite the
fact that he loses the plant that would
return him to his youth? In what ways is it
a fitting name despite his failure in the
quest for immortality. How, in fact, has he
actually accomplished immortality?
Discussion Questions
Throughout The Epic of Gilgamesh, many
dreams occur, and often their meaning is
unclear, or at least inscrutable for the
characters who have them. Is there a
general unity of the dreams? What is their
purport? Do they come from the gods? Are
they true? Are they good?
Discussion Questions