Historical Perspective Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh

A Historical Perspective of The Epic of Gilgamesh

This historical perspective examines the period in which the literature was produced and the prevailing ideas of the time that may have affected the writings of the Epic of Gilgamesh.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest stories written dating back to 2000 and 1500 B.C. In 1853 one of the greatest discoveries in history was the unearthing of the twelve clay tablets that recorded the life heroin king, Gilgamesh. The tablets were discovered near in Assyrian, the City of Nineveh by Hormuzd Rassam, an Assyrian Christian who resumed the excavation dig after the death of Henry Layand. Nearly twenty years later English Assyriologist, George Smith was the first to translate The Epic of Gilgamesh

Uruk, the main setting was one of the first large cities to be developed in Mesopotamia, which has been cited as the birth place of religion. In ancient time, religion was an indistinguishable form of what is known as mythology today. The story’s genre is a mythological narrative based on historical events written during a period when people believed that gods and goddesses ruled the world. Over a dozen of stories about the life of Gilgamesh circulated throughout the ancient Middle East and over time the stories and consolidated into the large epic literature that we study today. Most of the narration is in the first person told from Gilgamesh’s point of view but the flood story is narrated by Utnapishtim, the human that was warned of the great

She tells Gilgamesh that Enkidu lived among the animals and had no family and that Enkidu would be a loyal friend and never abandon him. Gilgamesh and Enkidu became best companions until Enkidu death. Gilgamesh is devastated when Enkidu dies and is more determined than ever to find immortality. Gilgamesh had heard of a human that was given immortality by the gods and he sets out to find. Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh that he was pre-warned of the great flood by the god wisdom, Ea who told him to build a boat large enough to hold two of every animal as well as his family. Utnapishtim had the fortitude to save others, which disappointed the gods, but realizing their actions of destruction was wrong. Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh the gods gave him immortality for saving the animal kingdom and ensuring humanity was not completely