mesopotamia
DESCRIPTION
Mesopotamia. The Key to Epic of Gilgamesh. Mesopotamia. Location: modern day Iraq Formation: fertile crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers Civilizations: Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonia. Sumerian cities: Ur and Uruk-- surrounded by walls - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Mesopotamia
The Key to Epic of Gilgamesh
Mesopotamia
• Location: modern day Iraq
• Formation: fertile crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
• Civilizations: Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonia
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
George Smith’s 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
The Epic of Gilgamesh
A Protest Against Death
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
Enkidu
• Gilgamesh’s loyal sidekick
• Ashamed to have been cursed by a goddess
Gilgamesh’s 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
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
Utnapishtim’s Barque
• 120 cubits• 7 decks• Family (kin), gold,
wild and tame beasts• Prepared just in time
for the storm
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
Utnapishtim’s actions
• Build a sacrifice: 7 cauldrons
• Ea to Enlil-- punishment too harsh
• Enlil grants Utnapishtim immortal life
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