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Gilgamesh, published in 2001, is the first full-length novel written by Joan London. It is inspired by the Epic of Gilgamesh, the world's oldest known poem. In 2002, the novel was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and was selected as The Age Book of the Year for Fiction.
- 272 pp
- Joan London
- 2001
Gilgamesh (/ ˈ ɡ ɪ l ɡ ə m ɛ ʃ /, / ɡ ɪ l ˈ ɡ ɑː m ɛ ʃ /; Akkadian: 𒀭𒄑𒂆𒈦, romanized: Gilgameš; originally Sumerian: 𒀭𒄑𒉋𒂵𒎌, romanized: Bilgames) was a hero in ancient Mesopotamian mythology and the protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem written in Akkadian during the late 2nd millennium BC.
- Discovery
- Versions
- Later Influence
- See Also
- External Links
About 15,000 fragments of Assyrian cuneiform tablets were discovered in the Library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh by Austen Henry Layard, his assistant Hormuzd Rassam, and W. K. Loftus in the early 1850s. Late in the following decade, the British Museum hired George Smith to study these; in 1872, Smith read translated fragments before the Society of B...
Distinct sources exist from over a 2000-year timeframe. The earliest Sumerian poems are now generally considered to be distinct stories, rather than parts of a single epic. Some of these may date back to as early as the Third Dynasty of Ur (c.2100 BC). The Old Babylonian tablets (c.1800 BC) are the earliest surviving tablets for a single Epic of Gi...
Relationship to the Bible
Various themes, plot elements, and characters in the Hebrew Bible have been suggested to correlate with the Epic of Gilgamesh – notably, the accounts of the Garden of Eden, the advice from Ecclesiastes, and the Genesis flood narrative.
Influence on Homer
Numerous scholars have drawn attention to various themes, episodes, and verses, indicating that the Epic of Gilgamesh had a substantial influence on both of the epic poems ascribed to Homer. These influences are detailed by Martin Litchfield West in The East Face of Helicon: West Asiatic Elements in Greek Poetry and Myth. According to Tzvi Abusch of Brandeis University, the poem "combines the power and tragedy of the Iliad with the wanderings and marvels of the Odyssey. It is a work of advent...
Alexander legends
In the Alexander Romance and many subsequent legends of Alexander the Great, Alexander is on a quest to find the Fountain of Lifeand become immortal. This was inspired by myths of Gilgamesh's quest for eternal youth in the face of his mortality; despite the influence, there are two main differences. The first is that Gilgamesh seeks the plant of youth whereas Alexander seeks the water of life. The second is that the motif of the snake shedding its skin in the Gilgamesh legend is replaced in t...
Translations of the legends of Gilgamesh in the Sumerian language can be found in Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Fluckiger-Hawker, E, Robson, E., and Zólyomi, G., The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumeri...An Old Babylonian Version of the Gilgamesh Epic by Anonymous at Project Gutenberg, edited by Morris Jastrow, translated by Albert T. ClayThe Epic of Gilgamesh, Complete Academic Translation by R. Campbell Thompson- Aaron Shaffer, Herbert Mason, Jean Bottéro, Stephen Mitchell, Andrew George, Morris Jastrow, Albert ...
- Mesopotamia
- 1999
- Akkadian
Gilgamesh, the best known of all ancient Mesopotamian heroes. Numerous tales in the Akkadian language have been told about Gilgamesh, and the whole collection has been described as an odyssey—the odyssey of a king who did not want to die. Learn more about Gilgamesh in this article.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Dec 15, 2022 · Gilgamesh is the semi-mythic King of Uruk best known as the hero of The Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 2150-1400 BCE) the great Babylonian poem that predates Homer's Iliad and Odyssey by 1500 years and, therefore, stands as the oldest piece of epic world literature.
- Joshua J. Mark
- When was The Epic of Gilgamesh written?The Epic of Gilgamesh dates from c. 2150-1400 BCE. It is considered the oldest heroic epic in the world.
- Was Gilgamesh a real king?Gilgamesh is thought to have been the historical king of the city of Uruk in the 26th century BCE.
- What is The Epic of Gilgamesh about?The Epic of Gilgamesh is about a man (Gilgamesh) whose best friend dies and, unable to deal with this loss and the certainty of his own death, emba...
- Why is The Epic of Gilgamesh important?The Epic of Gilgamesh is important as a work of ancient literature dealing with the most important questions of human existence: Why am I here? Wha...
Apr 10, 2018 · published on 10 April 2018. The Epic of Gilgamesh is among the most popular works of literature in the present day and has influenced countless numbers of readers but, for the greater part of its history, it was lost.
HISTORY MAGAZINE. Discovering Gilgamesh, the World’s First Action Hero. A self-taught scholar was responsible for finding the world’s first epic myth hidden among broken clay tablets in the...
