CLAA05H3 Lecture Notes - Sumerian King List, Droit Du Seigneur, Enkidu
Document Summary
First great work of world literature: the legend of gilgamesh. Longest and greatest literary composition written in cuneiform akkadian. Epic preceded by sumerian tales: oral stories of gilgamesh, lugalbanda and. Enmerkar (grandfather) were written down in sumerian, 650 1000 yrs after. Uruk may have been an akkadian city. Constantly altered via continuing oral narrative tradition so many versions exist dependent on different cities. Akkadian compilation is credited to the scribe-priest sin-leqe-unnini in the. One note that the scribe copying down gilgamesh was working from damaged text. No evidence that gilgamesh stories written down about 2150 bc. Purpose: no known associated ceremony / ritual; most likely for entertainment for royalty, family, and travelers. Classic epic: heroic exploits of a historical figure; gods and goddesses who. Interfere ; free will of man vs destiny and the wishes of heaven. Literary techniques used to combine in the sumerian stories into a unified epic.
