The Epic of Gilgamesh - Classic Text | Alexandria
The ancient Mesopotamian narrative poem stands as humanity's earliest surviving great work of literature, predating Homer's epics by roughly 1,500 years. Discovered in fragments across archaeological sites in modern-day Iraq, the Epic of Gilgamesh emerged from Sumerian oral traditions before being compiled into a standardized Akkadian version around 1200 BCE, though earlier versions date to approximately 2100 BCE.
The epic chronicles the adventures of Gilgamesh, the semi-divine king of Uruk, whose historical existence as a ruler in the Early Dynastic II period (approximately 2700 BCE) is supported by the Sumerian King List. The narrative weaves together themes of friendship, mortality, and the quest for immortality through the story of Gilgamesh and his wild companion Enkidu. Their friendship, adventures, and Gilgamesh's subsequent journey following Enkidu's death reflect profound questions about human existence that continue to resonate across millennia.
The text's recovery began in 1853 when Hormuzd Rassam discovered clay tablets in Nineveh's ruins, but its true significance remained unknown until George Smith's dramatic translation of the flood narrative in 1872. The epic's most complete version comes from twelve tablets found in the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (7th century BCE). These fragments reveal a sophisticated literary work that influenced numerous ancient texts, including, arguably, portions of the Hebrew Bible.
The epic's enduring legacy manifests in its continued influence on literature, art, and popular culture. Its themes of friendship, the search for immortality, and the tension between civilization and nature speak to contemporary concerns about human relationships, environmental stewardship, and the limits of human achievement. Modern adaptations and reinterpretations continue to emerge, while scholarly debate persists regarding untranslated fragments and alternative interpretations of key passages. The text remains a testament to humanity's oldest written expression of universal questions about mortality, power, and the meaning of life, inviting each new generation to explore its depths and find reflections of their own existential queries in its ancient verses.