Mrs.

Bommarito
Tyler Brown
7-2
November 2019
Epic of Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story about a king of Uruk and his adventures. This story

was found in the ruins of the library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh by Hormuzd Rassam in 1853 it

was written in cuneiform on 12 clay tablets. They date back to around 1300 – 1000 BC.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the most beloved stories' in Mesopotamia according to

the story, Gilgamesh (a young king) is an athletic and attractive boy of Uruk city. His Mom was

a goddess Ninsun and his Father was the king and priest of Lugalbanda. As you can tell

Gilgamesh was the son of a great ruler and a goddess, so he has a lot to live up to. Although he

is handsome and energetic, he is also cruel and arrogant. He challenges other men to challenges

of strength and he fights them. He also believed that he had the right to be with all new brides

and ll these selfish choices Gilgamesh had upset the people of Uruk and they cried out to Anu

( the god of heaven ) for advice or help with this young king.

After hearing the cries of the Uruk people the gods sent down a crazy man to challenge

Gilgamesh. His name was Enkidu. At the start Enkidu lived in the wild living with animals.

Enkidu is then (not fully) civilized by a priestess, Shamat, who to eat like a human being. Enkidu

then heads out to Uruk to fight Gilgamesh. They fight but in the end Gilgamesh wins the fight

but after the fight Enkidu and Gilgamesh become the best of friends.

The first half of the story tells of the adventures Gilgamesh and Enkidu had together

including, when they kill the monster Humbaba which the gods had sent over the forest of Ceder.
Mrs. Bommarito
Tyler Brown
7-2
November 2019
And Gilgamesh also resists Ishtar/Inanna from seducing him. In rage Ishtar asks the god Enil for

the Bull of Heaven (which she will use to try to kill Gilgamesh). But Enkidu and Gilgamesh

work together and kill the Bull of Heaven. But this angers the gods deeply and in revenge they

punished Gilgamesh and Enkidu by killing Enkidu which leaves Gilgamesh mourning the loss of

his best friend.

The second half of The Epic of Gilgamesh is about Gilgamesh searching for immortality

while still deeply morning the loss of his friend but worrying if his is soon to come. Not sure

what to do he searches for Utnapishtim an immortal man who survived the great flood once

Gilgamesh finds him Utnapishtim says to accept your mortality for he cannot change it.

Gilgamesh then starts his journey back to Uruk and becomes a great king and leader. He ruled

for 126 years according to the Sumerian kings list.

As you can tell Gilgamesh was a brave and strong king who in his lifetime was a noble

warrior, a selfish young boy, and he even felt a loss of someone he was really good friends with.

Even though Gilgamesh couldn’t find immortality he still lived a long and successful life.
Mrs. Bommarito
Tyler Brown
7-2
November 2019

"The Epic of Gilgamesh" History on the Net © 2000-2019, Salem Media.

October 31, 2019 https://www.historyonthenet.com/the-epic-of-gilgamesh

Scott Michael Rank

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