What is Epic of Gilgamesh?
{{Italic title}} [[File:GilgameshTablet.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Deluge]] tablet of the Gilgamesh in [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]]] The '''''Epic of Gilgamesh''''' is an [[epic poem]] from ancient [[Mesopotamia]]. It is one of the earliest works of literary [[fiction]] known. The most complete version that exists today was preserved on twelve clay tablets in the library collection of the 7th century [[BC]] [[Assyria]]n king [[Ashurbanipal]]. A series of [[Sumer]]ian [[legend]]s and poems about the mythological hero-king '''Gilgamesh''' were probably gathered into a longer [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] [[poem]] some time before the 7th century BC. The essential story is about the relationship between Gilgamesh, a king who has become distracted and disheartened by his rule, and a friend, Enkidu, who is half-wild and who undertakes dangerous quests with Gilgamesh. Much of the epic focuses on Gilgamesh's thoughts of loss following Enkidu's death. It is often credited as being one of the first literary works with emphasis on [[immortality]]. The epic is widely read in translation, and the hero, Gilgamesh, has become an icon of [[popular culture]]. == History == '''Gilgamesh''' was the fifth [[king]] of [[Uruk]], an [[Ancient history|ancient]] [[city]] of [[Sumer]]. His supposed historical reign is believed to lie within the period 2700 to 2500 BC, 200–400 years before the earliest known written stories. His father was the third king, Lugalbanda. The ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' was about him. == Bibliography == === Editions === * {{cite book|author=George, Andrew R.|title=The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=England|year=2003|isbn=0-19-814922-0}} * {{cite book|author=George, Andrew R|title=The Epic of Gilgamesh|location=|publisher=Penguin Books|year=1999|isbn=0-14-044919-1}} * {{cite book|author=Foster, Benjamin R|title=The Epic of Gilgamesh|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780393975161|location=New York|publisher=W.W. Norton & Company|year