This podcast is destined for our advanced students and for everyone interested in improving their language skills. We invite readers to focus on difficult vocabulary, we have added a small list with the definition of key words at the end of the text.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the crown jewel of the catalogue of ancient cuneiform literature that we possess today. As was explained in last week’s podcast, Cuneiform is a writing system developed by the Sumerians in the years 3500-3000 before the Common Era. Archaeologists are still trying to find physical proof that might allow them to date the Epic of Gilgamesh precisely. In the meantime, multiple copies of certain extracts have been found in what are today Israel, Syria and Turkey, helping archaeologists, philologists, paleographists and historians to establish dates with a certain measure of accuracy. Moreover, the main character, Gilgamesh, has been mentioned on different occasions in ancient Greek and Roman literature helping experts further in their quest to date the story and understand its importance in the ancient world and of course its relevance to later epics, such as Homer’s Iliad.
There are two main versions of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The Babylonian version, dating back to at least the second millennium before the Common Era and the Akkadian version, dating back to the period between the 13th and 10th century of the Common Era. As was mentioned in the previous podcast, it was only in the 7th century of our Common Era that contemporary historians found well-preserved versions of the clay tablets in the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal.
So what events does the Epic of Gilgamesh narrate?
Two-thirds God and one-third man, Gilgamesh was a physically intimidating and seductive man with incredible strength.
In the first extracts of the epic, he is described as a wise man who commissioned the construction of beautiful “tower temples” or “Zigurats” in his imposing walled city of URUK.
However, Gilgamesh quickly became a cruel tyrant, abusing his people physically, raping the women and forcing the population to work on his personal “vanity” projects.
In order to restrain him, the Gods created a powerful being from water and clay who could fight Gilgamesh and be his equal in all respects. This being was named Enkidu.
Rather than living like a king, Enkidu’s first days on earth were spent in the state of nature, isolated and apart from civilization: his instincts and mode of life were shaped by the wild animals that raised him and the nature that surrounded him. However little by little, he came closer to civilization and was eventually to reach the great walled city of Uruk.
Once in the city of Uruk, we are told Gilgamesh and Enkidu fought, as had originally been contemplated by the gods. However, after their initial altercation, Gilgamesh and Enkidu became close friends. Enkidu encouraged Gilgamesh to reign fairly and for the benefit of all. Unfortunately, the friends’ story took on a tragic turn after they slayed Humbaba, Enlil’s servant. Because of his crime, Enkidu faced Ishtar’s ire and was struck by an illness that slowly poisoned his body, bringing about his inevitable death. When Enkidu died, Gilgamesh was devastated. The devastation felt by Gilgamesh was such that he set off on a journey to the end of the world to try and unlock the secret to immortality. During his journey, he discovered artefacts and knowledge that went beyond what was known within his kingdom. He engraved this newfound knowledge on clay tablets that were ordered in the fashion of life lessons learned during his epic journey. The most important lesson that Gilgamesh learned was that real harmony is found in accepting impermanence. Happiness, we are told in the Epic, depends on how one seeks to come to terms with the truth of impermanence. And so Gilgamesh returned to his kingdom with a promise: to become a better king and use his power for the benefit of all humans.
So what is the link between this story and the story of Atrahasis that we learned about in the last podcast?
There are versions of the flood that came after the Atrahasis version which we learned about together. These other ancient Near East flood stories omit and/or editorially change information about the flood and the flood hero found in the original Atrahasis story.
In particular, a lost, intermediate version of the Atrahasis flood myth seems to have been paraphrased or copied in a late edition of the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Many scholars believe that the flood myth was added as a new “chapter” to the Epic of Gilgamesh. This additional chapter is now known as Tablet XI in the “standard version” of the Gilgamesh Epic. The ancient editor who came up with this new chapter of the Epic of Gilgamesh seems to have used the Atrahasis flood story to make the flood story of the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Tablet XI of the Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, chronicles the events of a past flood, similar to the story of Atrahasis, except with different characters. In Tablet XI of the Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the hero is not named Atrahasis but Utanapishtim and he is granted immortal life after surviving the flood. Tablet XI contains additional story material besides the flood but it seems that the flood story was included because in it, the flood hero Utnapishtim is granted immortality by the gods but this is an extraordinary, unique event not to be repeated in the history of man. When Gilgamesh seeks eternal life, he is challenged by Utnapishtim to stay awake for six days and seven nights however, as soon as Utnapishtim finishes speaking Gilgamesh falls asleep. Utnapishtim instructs his wife to bake a loaf of bread for every day he is asleep so that Gilgamesh cannot deny his failure. Gilgamesh, who wants to overcome death, cannot even conquer sleep.
TO CONCLUDE: THE ANCIENT STORIES THAT WE KNOW ARE THE PRODUCT OF OLD ORAL TRADITIONS DATING THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF YEARS, EARLIER EVEN THAT THE CLAY TABLETS ON WHICH WE FIND THE EARLEST WRITTEN VERSIONS OF THESE STORIES. THE WRITTEN STORIES THEN WENT THROUGH A CONSTANT PROCESS OF COPYING, PARAPHRASING AND EDITING, WHICH IS WHY WE NOW HAVE THE STORY OF ATRAHASIS AND THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH SITTING SIDE BY SIDE. THEY ARE LINKED ORGANICALLY EVEN THOUGH THEY MIGHT APPEAR AS DIFFERENT STORIES WHEN SEEN IN ISOLATION AS DIFFERENT CLAY TABLETS.
Vocabulary:
Altercation: A fight of words, although can also involve physical blows.
Artefacts: Objects made by human beings, usually of historical or cultural interest.
To come to terms with: To accept that an event or situation which can be difficult is actually happening (for ex: it took him a long time to come to terms with his divorce).
Ishtar: Ancient Mesopotamian goddess associated with love, sexuality or power depending on period and context.
Uruk: today known as Warka, ancient Near Eastern city.