1. Geography and History Gilgamesh Background

2. Mesopotamia One of world’s first civilizations Between Tigris and Euphrates—modern day Iraq Land was harsh and hard to farm Southern region (Sumeria) very hot and marshy City-states with kings developed by 4000 BCE King was intermediary between gods and people Sumerians were polytheistic

3. Sumerians Elite culture in Mesopotamia Conquered by Semitic tribes but language survived Gilgamesh—King of Uruk, known as a great builder. Around 2700 BCE One theme of this epic is civilization versus the wilderness

4. Cuneiform Latin for “wedge-shaped” Stylus and clay tablets Originally used pictures representing animals Then pictographic signs Finally, around 700 BCE a phonetic system developed

5. Gilgamesh text Written between 3 rd and 2 nd centuries BCE Preserved in library of King Assurbanipal—an Assyrian king. Translated into Akkadian Semitic Then lost and rediscovered on clay tablets in 1800’s by British explorers. Translated into the early 20 th century. Evidence suggests the story was widespread as numerous copies have been discovered on tablets in various Middle eastern languages

6. What it looks like