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The Epic of Gilgamesh

mesopotamianSumerian and Akkadianc. 2100-1200 BCE

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest surviving work of great literature, originating in ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). It tells the story of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, his friendship with the wild man Enkidu, their heroic adventures, Enkidu's death, and Gilgamesh's subsequent quest for immortality. The epic's treatment of mortality, friendship, the human condition, and the relationship between ci

Overview

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest surviving work of great literature, originating in ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). It tells the story of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, his friendship with the wild man Enkidu, their heroic adventures, Enkidu's death, and Gilgamesh's subsequent quest for immortality. The epic's treatment of mortality, friendship, the human condition, and the relationship between civilization and nature makes it one of the most profound explorations of the human experience in any literature. For Bible students, it is essential reading because it contains a flood narrative that closely parallels Genesis 6-9 and explores themes of mortality and paradise that resonate deeply with Genesis 2-3 and Ecclesiastes.

Bible connections
  • Genesis 6-9 (flood narrative, Noah/Utnapishtim)
  • Genesis 2-3 (paradise, serpent, loss of immortality)
  • Genesis 6:1-4 (semi-divine beings, Nephilim)
  • Ecclesiastes 9:7-9 (enjoy life, Siduri's advice)
  • 2 Samuel 1:25-27 (David's lament for Jonathan/Gilgamesh for Enkidu)
  • Psalm 90 (human mortality and divine eternity)
  • Genesis 11:1-9 (Tower of Babel, hubris against the gods)
Key terms
Uruk– Gilgamesh's city, one of the oldest cities in the world (modern Warka, Iraq)
Enkidu– the wild man created by the gods to be Gilgamesh's companion and equal
Utnapishtim– the Mesopotamian flood survivor, equivalent to Noah
me– divine powers or cultural norms that govern civilization in Sumerian thought
kur– the underworld in Sumerian cosmology
Did you know?

When George Smith deciphered the Gilgamesh flood tablet at the British Museum in 1872 and recognized its parallel with Genesis, he was so excited that he reportedly began removing his clothes in front of his colleagues.