Mesopotamia

1
Mesopotamia

• The Key to Epic of Gilgamesh

2
Mesopotamia

• Location modern day Iraq
• Formation fertile crescent between the Tigris
  and Euphrates rivers
• Civilizations Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonia

3
Discovery of the Epic

• Sumerian cities Ur and Uruk-- surrounded by
  walls
• Sumerian writing pictographic--improved into
  cuneiform
• Hammurabi-- first legal code

• Assyrian/Akkadian-overthrew Sumerians
• Greatest King Ashurbanipal
• His library at Nineveh contained the tablets with
  the Epic
• Deciphered by George Smith

4
George Smiths Discovery

• An account of a great flood
• Known as The Deluge Tablets
• Funded a return trip--
• Found all 12 tablets of the Epic- but died

5
The Epic of Gilgamesh

• A Protest Against Death

6
Gilgamesh

• 2/3 god 1/3 man
• Built walls of Uruk
• Perfect body
• Courageous
• Went on a journey-- wrote down his story
• HE is the one telling the story

7
Enkidu

• Gilgameshs loyal sidekick
• Ashamed to have been cursed by a goddess

8
Gilgameshs Reaction

• Long speech to people and things of Uruk
• Rages like a lion
• Tears out his hair and throws off his clothes
• Acts like this for 7 days and 7 nights
• Buries Enkidu when worm fastened to him
• Afraid of his own death
• Goes in search of Utnapishtim

9
The Story of the Flood

• The Gods were angry because of all of the BABEL
• Enlil encouraged the gods to exterminate mankind
• Ea warned Utnapishtim about the flood thru a dream

• Utnapishtim ironically told everyone that Enlil
  was mad at him and would rain abundance upon
  everyone else
• Utnapishtim built a barque

10
Utnapishtims Barque

• 120 cubits
• 7 decks
• Family (kin), gold, wild and tame beasts
• Prepared just in time for the storm

11
The Storm

• Gods were even terrified of the storm
• Ishtar regrets exterminating mankind
• 7th day storm stops
• 7 days the boat rests
• Dove, swallow, raven

12
Utnapishtims actions

• Build a sacrifice 7 cauldrons
• Ea to Enlil-- punishment too harsh
• Enlil grants Utnapishtim immortal life

13
The Return

• Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh of a plant
• the Old Men are young again grants eternal
  youth
• Gilgamesh ties stones to his feet and retrieves
  the plant
• Gilgamesh plans to give plant to old men first

• While bathing, a serpent steals the plant
• The serpent loses his skin
• Gilgamesh returns home disappointed
• Gilgamesh looks at his accomplishments and writes
  the story down