Women's Role In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

Females played a major role in Ancient Sumerian society. From the female characters in The Epic of Gilgamesh, it is possible to glimpse how women were treated in Ancient Sumeria. From the different positions women held in The Epic of Gilgamesh, and how female sexuality was portrayed, it can be inferred that the Ancient Sumerians treated women differently than the world’s historical treatment of women around that time.

The Ancient Sumerians did not view women as mere sex objects. They had a very different view of sexuality. Female sexuality and its role in The Epic of Gilgamesh is an important theme in this tale and in the society of Sumeria. Shamhat, a prostitute, is one of the most important female characters in this epic because of how the Ancient Sumerians viewed sexuality. When a hunter discovered Ekidnu, the wild man, hunting in the wilderness, he brought the harlot Shamhat to seduce Ekidnu and introduce him to civilization. The hunter instructed Shamhat: “Teach him, the savage man, your woman’s art, for when he murmurs love to you the wild beasts that share his life in the hills will reject him.” The harlot did so, and when they had slept together for six

days and seven nights, Ekidnu’s lust was quenched. As a result of Ekidnu’s seduction, the wild animals spurned him, and the harlot was able to introduce him to society. Shamhat’s sexuality was the force that created Enkidu’s transition from his wild existence to civilization. Ekidnu’s engagement with Shamhat was both a reflection and a contrast from Adam and Eve’s fall from Eden. His fall from nature began with his sexual awakening, just as Adam and Eve’s fall from grace began when they discovered their sexuality. When Ekidnu tried to rejoin nature, the animals rejected him, just as Adam was forced to work and till the ground for its produce. Conversely, Ekidnu’s sexual awakening was not considered sinful. The gentle usage of “woman’s art” indicates that the Ancient Sumerians viewed sexuality in a positive light. The Ancient Sumerians viewed the female sexuality as a connection with the divine and a key to the progression of society. Through Shamat’s sexuality, Enkidu was domesticized and civilized. Prostitutes were not embodiments of human sin, they were considered divine servants of the high goddess Ishtar, the patron goddess of Uruk. Female sexuality represented the renewal of life and was something the Ancient Sumerians respected. Through the “women’s art” men could be tamed and introduced to civilization. In this way, the Sumerians must have believed that women themselves were a representation of civilized life and viewed women as more than sex objects.
From what is described in The Epic of Gilgamesh it is apparent that the Ancient Sumerians allowed their women certain rights and freedoms.

When Gilgamesh sought Utnapishtim, he stumbled across Siduri, a wine maker who showed Gilgamesh the way to find Utnapishtim. It is important to note the fact that Siduri was a tavern owner as is stated in The Epic of Gilgamesh: “Beside the sea she lives, the woman of the vine, the maker of wine.” This is a major key in discerning how the Ancient Sumerians treated women. An argument can be made that women had extended rights in Sumeria to the extent that they were able to own their own businesses as is seen in Siduri’s case. Not only were they allowed to run their own businesses, but women held the most important position in that society: the role of the

priestesses.
It is interesting to note that men did not hold the highest position in Sumerian society: women did, though, ironically, they were not considered citizens of Sumeria. The priestesses acted as mediators between the king and the gods. Gilgamesh’s mother blesses him and Enkidu in the presence of her priestesses: “In the presence of my women, my votaries and hierophants, I declare it.” Priestesses acted as witnesses before god and man, thus placing themselves in the highest role in Sumerian society.
In summary, drawing from The Epic of Gilgamesh, it is evident that the Ancient Sumerians treated women very differently from the rest of civilizations around their time. Women were given the highest, and possibly most powerful, role in their society: the role of the priestesses, who acted as mediators between man and the divine. Women were not considered solely sex objects: their sexuality was cherished and respected. From what is portrayed in The Epic of Gilgamesh, it can be inferred that the Ancient Sumerians believed that female sexuality was a representation of life and contributed to the growth of civilization. Though men still held dominion over women, women’s sexuality was considered taming forces over man and nature. In this way, women were