Imagery and Themes in the Epic of Gilgamesh - 1139 Words

Historical Context - Imagery and Themes Rosenberg notes that Gilgamesh is probably the worlds first human hero in literature (27). The Epic of Gilgamesh is based on the life of a probably real Sumerian king named Gilgamesh, who ruled about 2600 B.C.E. We learned of the Gilgamesh myth when several clay tablets written in cuneiform were discovered beginning in 1845 during the excavation of Nineveh (26). We get our most complete version of Gilgamesh from the hands of an Akkadian priest, Sin-liqui-unninni. It is unknown how much of the tale is the invention of Sin-liqui-unninni, and how much is the original tale. The flood story, which appears in the Sin-liqui-unninni version, is probably based on an actual flood that occurred in†¦show more content†¦They included the noble, the commoner, the client, and the slave (37). Women were allowed to own property and do business. Men enjoyed the ability to divorce or take a second wife in the event that the first wife was unable to bear children. Children appear to have been viewed as the property of the parent and without rights (38). The time of economic prosperity that the agricultural gains provided allowed inventions to become more important. The inventions helped society advance further. One of the most important inventions at this time was animal husbandry (39). There are also indications that the people believed in an afterlife. The tombs which were excavated in recent times contained earthly riches such as beads, earrings and knives which would have been useful to the deceased (42). Between 4500 and 2500 BC, there was a period of expansion and growth in the economy and political environment of the Sumerians. Intellectualism and artistry flourished as a result (Mallowan 98-106). Kings who gained enough power and wealth conquered weaker city-states and burned or destroyed cities. These cities were later rebuilt as each one was destroyed (Swisher 45-46). The perception of their natural surroundings were similar to that of the Greeks. It was believed that the earth was a disk surrounded by mountains which held up the sky. The sky was a dome that was filled with air. Under the disk was theShow MoreRelatedThe Battle Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh931 Words   |  4 Pagesthe story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu partaking in their adventure to the edge of the Cedar Forest, and their encounter with a guard, an enemy. Throughout this battle, Gilgamesh loses faith in the couples ability to defeat the guard but is ultimately talked back into his heroic mindset by The Gods. In column VI, having just defeated the guard, Enkidu then finds himself in a similar situation to Gilgamesh, whereby he doubts their ability to defeat Humbaba, and it comes down to Gilgamesh, and his leadershipRead MoreEssay about Comparing The Epic of Gilgamesh with The Odyssey1262 Words   |  6 Pages The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey both are held in high respect by literature analysts and historians alike for the characterization of the hero and his companion, the imagery brought to mind when one of them is read, and the impressive length in relation to the time period it was written in. The similarities that these two epics share do not end with only those three; in fact, the comparability of these works extend to even the information on the author and the archetypes used. 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