The first book in history… “It is an old story But one that can still be told About a man who loved And lost a friend to death And learned he lacked the power To bring him back to life. It is the story of Gilgamesh And his friend Enkidu.” The first book in history… Gilgamesh

Who was Gilgamesh? Gilgamesh was a historical Sumerian king (2750 B.C.) – ruling over the city-state of Uruk, which is in modern day Iraq. The tradition says he reigned for 126 years! He was said to be 2/3 god and 1/3man. “Gilgamesh was king of Uruk, A city set between the Tigris And Euphrates rivers In Ancient Babylonia. Enkidu was born on the Steppe Where he grew up among the animals. Gilgamesh was called a god and man; Enkidu was an animal and man. It is the story Of their becoming human together.”

Oral Tradition of Poetic Epics Gilgamesh is the oldest written epic we have found. Gilgamesh is an epic poem that was based on an oral tradition formed about the king, which was eventually written down in 2100 B.C. (the standard version we use is from 1300 B.C.)

What is an epic? A long narrative (story) Formal style (often in a poetic format) Centered on a heroic figure whose actions influence all of society The setting is worldwide (the world that existed for them) The action includes great valor and preternatural strength Supernatural beings often participate Extended use of monologues and similes

Cuneiform The Sumerians are said to have invented writing in 3000 B.C. This writing called cuneiform (wedge-shaped script) evolved from pictures Guess what language Gilgamesh was written in?

Gilgamesh Lost and Found The Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (612 B.C) collected a huge library, which included 35 copies of Gilgamesh, but the library was destroyed in a war. The clay tablets were found by Sir Austen Henry Layard in 1849 in Nineveh.

Fragments of the story To date, none of the Gilgamesh tablets have been completely restored, but scholars compare fragments of different copies to fill in the story.

Important questions to ponder As you read Gilgamesh… What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be a friend? What does it mean to be a hero? How does coping with death (of others and our own mortality) help us define ourselves? How does this story covey views of justice, and civilization in the ancient Sumerian culture and how can we learn from (or how do we still demonstrate) these values today?