RG ST 12 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Ernest Friedrich Gilg, Ashurbanipal, Enkidu
10/3/17
Gilgamesh - means “the old man is youthful”
○ A historical figure, ca. 2500-2700 bce
○ Lord of uruk, city-state in Mesopotamia (land between the two waters)
○ Semi-divine figure in “epic”
● Epic opens with description of ziggurat dedicated to Anu (sky god) uruk, ca 3500 BCE
and inanna/ishtar (goddess of love and war) uruk, ca 2100 BCE.
● Uruk was a city-state within SUMER and SUMER is within AKKAD
○ They farmed land too much and now it is less populated.
● Compiled 2000-1700 BCE
● Later translations: babylonian, akkadian, sumerian, etc.
● Lost from Ca. 100 BCE to 1870 CE
○ cuneiform= cone shaped : therefore people couldn't read it.
■ One of the earlier writings
● Cuneiform libraries
○ 500,000 tablets or fragments extant
○ Libraries of Hammurabi (ca. 1700 BCE) and assurbanipal (ca. 612 BCE)
■ First tablets of gilgamesh found in assurbanipal
● Gilgamesh is probably earliest epic in writing
● His mother was a goddess, father was a priest
○ He struggled with immortality yet was most powerful man in universe
■ Eventually gives up.
● Realizes nothing material matters once his friend dies.
○ Death is great adversary and cannot be conquered.
Plot of Gilgamesh Epic
● Gilg’s harsh rule noted by gods
○ Gods create enkidu to defeat gilg
■ Gilg and enkidu battle, become friends
● Their exploits outrage the gods
○ Dream, death of Enkidu
■ Gilg’s quest for immortality.
● Gilg and Enkidu defeat Humbaba
○ They capture and enslave humbaba this takes up several tablets
○ Also cut down tallest cedar tree in forest
● Ishtar courts Gilg
○ He refuses and angers her dad
● Enkidu and Gilg slay the bull of heaven, 700-600 BCE
○ Gods angry because Enkidu was supposed to defeat Gilg and now they are
friends so now god's will kill him.
○ Enkidu starts to wither away and has dream
Enkidu’s dream
Document Summary
Gilgamesh - means the old man is youthful . Lord of uruk, city-state in mesopotamia (land between the two waters) Epic opens with description of ziggurat dedicated to anu (sky god) uruk, ca 3500 bce and inanna/ishtar (goddess of love and war) uruk, ca 2100 bce. Uruk was a city-state within sumer and sumer is within akkad. They farmed land too much and now it is less populated. Cuneiform= cone shaped : therefore people couldn"t read it. First tablets of gilgamesh found in assurbanipal. Gilgamesh is probably earliest epic in writing. His mother was a goddess, father was a priest. He struggled with immortality yet was most powerful man in universe. Realizes nothing material matters once his friend dies. Death is great adversary and cannot be conquered. They capture and enslave humbaba this takes up several tablets. Also cut down tallest cedar tree in forest. Enkidu and gilg slay the bull of heaven, 700-600 bce.
