This collection contains translations of both the Akkadian and Sumerian versions of the Gilgamesh epic along with Sumerian poems about Gilgamesh (Bilgames in the Sumerian language) that relate to, but are not part of, the epic itself. Gilgamesh was an actual person, a king, who ruled sometime between the pre-historic and historic age. Stories about him were handed down as part of the oral tradition. During the long conversion process from oral to written language, Gilgamesh transformed from a flesh and blood human to part-god and part-mortal. His mother, Ninsun, was a goddess and his father, Lugalbanda, was the deified king of Uruk.

The Standard Version of the poem was complied in the Akkadian language sometime in the first millennium BCE possibly by the writer Sîn-lique-unnini. This version is considered to be ‘the classic’ Epic of Gilgamesh. Akkadian texts older than the standard version are also included in Andrew George’s book. These were written in cuneiform script by scribes on school practice tablets. The Sumerian poems about Bilgames from the 18th century BCE come from Babylon (present-day Iraq).

I enjoyed reading the poetry itself and found the introduction by Andrew George to be terrific. He has a knack for explaining human behavior and beliefs from over 4,000 years ago that have stayed with us. The themes he discusses, particularly the role of gods, kings, and subjects, as well as rituals and respect for the dead, resonated with me because they explain why we do some of the things we do without thinking about why. For example why the concepts of service and duty are so important to a monarch (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth comes to mind), or why the practice of tending to the graves of the dead or ritualizing remembrances continue today and are as much for ourselves as they are for our dead ancestors. Thousands of years ago, these behaviors and beliefs were ingrained in humanity (or at least in what we now call ‘western’ people) and have remained fundamentally with us even if the particulars have changed.

I read Gilgamesh a bit out of order. The epic is roughly two or three thousand years older than The Iliad. What was notable are the parallels between Gilgamesh and Achilles. Both are exceedingly strong warriors, held up to be examples of the ‘ideal man’. Both are consumed by a hopeless mission. And both have a male companion of lower rank who teaches them lessons about hubris, love, and loss.

The Gilgamesh epic is also famous for its reference to ‘the Deluge’. The flood story is a common theme in ancient literature if for no other reason than the confluence of the Tigris, Euphrates, and Diyala rivers would have made massive flooding an annual occurrence in lower Mesopotamia. It is no wonder the story of a flood to end all floods, whether it be the Deluge from Gilgamesh or Noah’s Flood, would be connected with the gods, or God, and have major influence on how people behaved and what they believed. Gilgamesh’s adventure to meet the lone survivor of The Deluge (Uta-Napishti) and the description of the flood and its after effects made a personal impression on me. I come from a home town that was devastated by a flood thirteen years before I was born. Growing up, the Flood of ‘55 was regularly discussed, and continues to be discussed almost 70 years later. It had a permanent psychological and behavioral impact on those who survived it and the generations that followed them. It is no wonder then, that the Gilgamesh story has remained relevant to this day. It’s universal themes make it a must-read for anyone interested in many of the foundational concepts of the culture in which we live. ( )

Simply put, Gilgamesh: A Verse Narrative (Hardcover) by Herbert Mason, which I just finished reading, was amazing. I was motivated to reading it by the story of Noah, covered at Torah Study this past Saturday, and immediately went to the library to procure a copy. I started it yesterday and finished it in a day.

As is well-known the coverage of the Biblical flood in both the Gilgamesh epic and the Noah story have striking similarities. Less well-known are dream interpretations similar to the story of Joseph. As is explained in various "afterwords" the Gilgamesh epic is recorded in primitive written form in various Cuneiform tablets. Scholars have been piecing together Gilgamesh for roughly a century, give or take.

A deep and abiding part of the epic is the tender tale of the end of a friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. One of the most touching lines in my opinion, among many, about the end of friendship, in this case by death was: "You to wander on alone? Is that the way it is with friend(s)?

The discussions of this book are rife with arguments as to its historical accuracy, the quality of the translation, and the compiler/translator's understanding of ancient polytheism. My response is that none of us are an "ancient polytheist" and that all ancient epics, such as the Odyssey, have to be treasured for what they are, literature, and for historical accuracy taken with lots of leavening, whether grains of salt or otherwise.
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2018 AP/DC IV Summer Reading:

I always seem to love returning and returning to the beginning of written words, and to all the twists and turns they take. This earliest story thousands of years before our bible, which contains stories that would then be reflected later in the bible. The way early myths echo into and out of each other. The flood, the snake, the birthed-exigency of intelligence/self-awareness on the altar of sex.

It was nice to have a refresher on this one. ( )

Gilgamesj vertalen blijkt een heikele onderneming: er bestaan zoveel verschillende versies van dit verhaal, uit zoveel verschillende tijdsperioden (gespreid over 2 millennia), en soms erg onvolledig overgeleverd. Zoals Michael Schmidt terecht schrijft (The Life of a Poem): Gilgamesh vertalen is een ongelofelijk puzzelwerk, waarbij voortdurende interpretatie aangewezen is, uitmondend in een eindeloos schuivende tekst die onvermijdelijk sterk gekleurd is door de eigen inbreng van de vertaler/lezer.
Als je de geschiedenis bekijkt van het ontstaan, de herontdekking en de reconstructie van dit verhaal, dan gaat het je zeker als historicus gewoon duizelen. Neem alvast de tijd tussen het oudste fragment dat we hebben teruggevonden (ca 2100 BCE) en de Standaardversie die ergens tussen 1300 en 1100 BCE werd samengesteld: ruim duizend jaar. Of de tijd tussen die Standaardversie en de meest volledige versie die is teruggevonden in de Bibliotheek van Assurbanipal in Niniveh, ca 650 BCE: grosso modo 500 jaar. In mijn eigen opleiding geschiedenis hadden we een (kleine) cursus paleografie waarin ons duidelijk werd gemaakt hoe vlug scribenten uit de Middeleeuwen fouten maakten of zelfs bewust aanvullingen of veranderingen deden, telkens ze een tekst kopieerden; op vrij korte tijd kon zo een grotendeels ‘corrupte’ tekst ontstaan. Wat moet dat dan niet geweest zijn voor de Mesopotamische periode, waarin teksten continu gekopieerd werden, dat wil zeggen telkens opnieuw met spijkerschrift-stiften ingedrukt in zachte klei, dikwijls door leerlingen in scholen, bij wijze van oefening? Elke vertaling van het Gilgamesh-verhaal, op basis van de originele teksten, is dan ook een huzarenstukje, en elke vertaler maakt dan ook telkens weer eigen keuzes die uitmonden in zeer verschillende teksten. Deze vertaling van de Standaardversie, door de Nederlandse Assyrioloog Herman Vanstiphout, vind ik erg geslaagd want erg dicht bij de originelen aanleunend, aangevuld met oudere fragmenten, en rijk van extra toelichting voorzien via voetnoten en begeleidende in- en uitleidingen. Als extra biedt hij zelfs vertaalde fragmenten aan van de oudste Gilgamesj-versies (toen nog Bilgames) uit de Soemerische en Oud-babylonische tijd (2100-1500 BCE). In mijn Geschiedenis-account op Goodreads ga ik dieper in op inhoudelijke en vormelijke aspecten die me zo aantrokken in dit verhaal en in deze vertaling: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/26055396. ( )

Assembled from various fragments, this is thought to be the earliest "literature. Plot concenrs the heros encounters with lust, friendship, loss, and death. There are a couple of moving passages about grief and the quest for meaning.
This edition has extensive glossary for all the names of gods, etc. as well as a pretty scholarly (dense, detailed) introduction. ( )