The Epic of Gilgamesh
Book description
The definitive translation of the world's oldest known epic, now updated with newly discovered material
Miraculously preserved on clay tablets dating back as far as four thousand years, the poem of Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, predates Homer by many centuries. The story tells of Gilgamesh's adventures with the wild man…
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Why read it?
2 authors picked The Epic of Gilgamesh as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the great masterpieces of world literature, and the oldest, with its origins lost in the mists of time.
It contains a dramatic account of the Great Flood, upon which the much later Noah’s Ark tale was based. The Epic was current for some 3,000 years and entered the literature of many ancient cultures including those of Sumer, where it originated, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Hittite.
The Epic has been reconstructed from many thousands of clay tablets unearthed from Middle Eastern archaeological sites. The cultures through which it passed moulded their own flesh upon its…
From Jeffrey's list on the time of Gilgamesh.
This is the oldest written story in the world. Gilgamesh was prince of the sheepfold Uruk, all its date groves and cool gardens, all the herds of antelope beyond the fields of spelt. In those days, scorpion men guarded the sun, and Gilgamesh wandered the wilds with his friend Enkidu in search of wisdom. The story’s lesson was simple and eternal. In many a city, in civilised settlements, the teeming markets drown the peace. Gilgamesh at first cut down the ancient cedars guarded by Humbaba, and killed the last fiery bull with wings. In the presence of nature, he found…
From Jules' list on stories and place since writing began.
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