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<div><!--more-->Although there were many ancient epic poems throughout history, The Epic of Gilgamesh is by far the oldest known epic poem and is one of the oldest surviving text in the world. The surviving version of the epic is written in Akkadian, but was originally told orally in the ancient Sumerian language (“Ancient Religions”). It is a mythical account and symbolic account of an actual Sumerian king, Gilgamesh, in search for immortality. The epic embodies the values and ideals of the predominate culture at the time. The Epic also takes place in the same time period as the Great Flood similar to the story of Noah in the Genesis (“Ancient Religions”).<BR><BR></div>
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<div><span> </span>The main theme of the poem centers around death and the value of life. The main character, Gilgamesh, was a Sumerian king that lived around 2700 BCE in the area known today as modern Iraq (“Ancient Religions”). In the epic, he is depicted as an arrogant, ruthless, and powerful king who is of divine birth. His mother was a goddess and his father was a human, which makes him a demigod. Gilgamesh fell disfavor with the gods who decided to punish him. They sent Enkidu, a wild man the gods had created to kill Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh and Enkidu encounter each other and fight furiously until Gilgamesh finally wins. Enkidu submits. The two become good friends as they journey together through dangerous quests. Later on, Enkidu dies after the gods decided to inflict his death. Distressed by the death of his close friend, Gilgamesh begins a quest in search of immortality. He finds the immortal man who survived the Great Flood, Utnapishtim, who tests Gilgamesh to prove to him his irreversible fate of human mortality. Gilgamesh fails. Utapishtim’s wife, witnessing Gilgamesh’s disappointment, convinces her husband to be merciful. Utnapishtim then tells Gilgamesh of a plant that can restore youth. Gilgamesh obtains the plant and plans to share it with all the old men. A snake then steals and eats the plant. Gilgamesh comes back empty-handed and finally reconciled with his fate of morality. When he finally returns, he contributes great achievements to his people.<BR></div><bR>
<div><span> </span>The epic was written by Shin-eqi-unninni around 2750 to 2500 BCE (“The Epic”). The is preserved on twelve clay tablets and had been transcribed from the ancient Sumerian language to Akkadian in a form of writing called cuneiform, which was developed around the 3000 BCE (“The Epic”). The writing system first contain symbolic pictographs, which then became more abstract until the Sumerians began to partially rely on an alphabet system. Cuneiform documents were written on wet clay with a stylus made out of bone or reed material to engrave characters or ideographs (“The Epic”). Many ancient sacred texts, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, were transcribed over hundreds of years in cuneiform script, a writing style which was refined over time.<BR></div>
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<div>The Epic of Gilgamesh was typical for it’s time in that it included supernatural aspects and religion to explain events and ideas. Much of the history of Mesopotamia was heavily infused with religion such as the Babylonian Creation myth, otherwise called the Enuma Elish, the Epic of Gilgamesh is a long epic poem important to Mesopotamian culture and is considered as sacred writing. History and legends were recorded in cuneiform such as the Enuma Elish (“The Epic”), otherwise known as “the Babylonian Creation myth”, which another work that was also as important and similar to the Epic of Gilgamesh. Both works tell of historical people or events that happened in a mythological context. Both the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Enuma Elish are sacred texts that also tell of historical events and a very symbolic and religious manner (Fiero). The Babylonian Creation Myth, for example, portrays the creation of the world, in which the young god, Marduk, slays the mother dragon, Taimat, depicting the transition from a Matriarchy to Patriarchy (Fiero). They also portray the polytheistic nature of Mesopotamian religions, which were the oldest known religions, giving us insight to the way the ancient people saw the world. Compared to today, the people of Mesopotamia had little entertainment. Listening to ancient lore was one of the few entertainments the people had back then. The Epic of Gilgamesh was appreciated in that it was not only a source of entertainment, but also a sacred work of literature that’ reflects their culture and beliefs. It was one of the many things that defined them as a people.<BR></div>
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<div><span> </span>Although The Epic of Gilgamesh was written many millennia ago, it is still enjoyed, studied, and passed on throughout the generations. The fact that it was written and translated from Sumerian to Akkadian (“World Religions”), one can infer that it was well received by the people of Mesopotamia. There were also many versions of the epic it scattered throughout the region (Sanders). The Epic of Gilgamesh portrays heroic exploits of that time, philosophical teachings, and world views about life. The Epic of Gilgamesh is still widely received today as it is still being translated and interpreted as a classic with many themes pertaining to friendship, life and death, eternal life, and “the process by which human beings become mature, moving from innocent and reckless adolescence to the awareness of values that are more real, though less apparent” (Pettinato) . It is being studied in high schools and colleges as part of literary education. It is currently still being printed in textbooks and encyclopedias. Many students of literature write essays about the Epic of Gilgamesh.<BR></div>
<BR><div>Although the epic is still widely known today, the reception is not the same as it was back in it’s time due to cultural context and translation. The Sumerian language, which is the language the Epic of Gilgamesh is told, is almost obsolete if not extinct in this modern age. Yet, the character of Gilgamesh remains legendary, an inspirational figure that is often referenced in many modern works and popular culture today.<BR></div>
<BR><div><span> </span>I found the Epic of Gilgamesh to be meditative and meaningful in that it tackles a concept that is still relevant in our civilization today. Despite all the scientific discoveries and technological advances in medicine and other life-prolonging sciences, all human beings face death, which many today have trouble coming to terms with. The epic addresses growth and decay. For example, a relevant situation in today’s world can been seen in the brotherly relationship between Enkidu and Gilgamesh. Although both grow very close, not even friendship can overcome death, illustrating the temporal quality of many things in life. Things like love, friendship are all temporary. Things change over time, and people and places tend to disappear and one must learn to come to terms with it.<BR></div><BR>
<div><span> </span>What is most significant about this work is the cultural similarities and differences between ancient Mesopotamia and today’s culture. Throughout all cultures and time, all people had to cope with the idea of death, which is still something relevant today although today’s knowledge, technology, and science allows us to understand the world around us and also to bypass things that were once really dire back then. Yet still, all things are temporary and one cannot completely alter the laws of nature.<BR></div><BR>
<div><span> </span>It portrays values that were important at the time compared to the values we hold today. Such as how in the end of the epic, Gilgamesh dies. Although he is dead, he is still remembered as a great king who’s lasting achievements are valued and are significant in contribution to humanity for generations, which the epic implies is closest thing to immortality that human beings can achieve. Contributing to humanity in a positive manner is the one thing that future generations should aspire to.<BR> <BR></div>
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<div style="text-align: center">Works Cited:<BR></div><BR>
<div>"Ancient Religions of Egypt and Mesopotamia." World Religions Reference Library. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie, <span> </span>et al. Vol. 1: Almanac. Detroit: UXL, 2007. 37-67. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 20 Feb. 2011.<BR></div><BR>
<div>Fiero, Gloria. “The Gods of Mesopotamia.” The Humanistic Tradition, book 1.  6th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2011.<BR></div><BR>
<div>Pettinato, Giovanni. "Gilgamesh." Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Lindsay Jones. 2nd ed. Vol. 5. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 3486-3489. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 20 Feb. 2011.<BR></div><BR>
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<div>Sandars, N.K. "Epic of Gilgamesh." Reference Guide to World Literature. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. 3rd ed. Vol. 2: Works. Detroit: St. James Press, 2003. 1246-1247. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 20 Feb. 2011 <BR></div>
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<div>"The Epic of Gilgamesh." World Religions Reference Library. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie, et al. Vol. 5: Primary <span> </span>Sources. Detroit: UXL, 2007. 61-72. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. <BR></div>
<div>Westwood, Jennifer. "Gilgamesh." Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. Ed. Robert Kastenbaum. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 331-334. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. <BR></div>
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