Ishtar

Discovering the Beauty of Uruk Through Sex and Death Ancient Mesopotamian art has, for almost as long as humans can remember, been a way of understanding the ancient civilizations. Some of the earliest inhabitants of the world, the Sumerians, crafted vases and statues depicting their culture and rituals, as well as their relationships with the gods. The Warka Vase of Uruk pictures Sumerians giving offerings to the gods. These sacrifices were greatly important during the Sumerian era, as they…

Gilgamesh may not be the first king of the city of Uruk, but he is supreme among mankind. The beginning explains that Gilgamesh is a mighty king, a tyrant, “who in his arrogance oppresses the people, trampling upon them like a wild bull” (Gilgamesh 72). Depending on who walks into the city of Uruk, there are two perspectives of the city. Uruk is a walled off city, a city of gardens and temples and public squares- it is a “paradise”. Uruk can be described as a festive society of bright colors,…

Heaven or I will go to the underworld and break its door and let the hungry dead come to eat the living,” (Ferry 32). The quote displays the evil and harsh nature of the Gods, and the author is discouraging the readers from disobeying gods or a god. Ishtar was hugely unjust, and she decided to misuse her power as long as she could punish Gilgamesh and receive her revenge. She was not empathetic of the people that would be affected by the famine, or the splitting of the ground. Furthermore,…

One of the first river valley civilizations found itself nestled between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the Fertile Crescent in now modern day Iraq, and Syria the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia thrived for thousands of years. Despite it being such a great civilization researchers have only recently translating cuneiform when Napoleon found the Rosetta Stone on his conquests. Again war in Iraq and conquest have assisted the discovery of many clay tablets in Iraq. These clay tablets…

BILKENT UNIVERSITY PROGRAM IN CULTURES, CIVILIZATIONS, AND IDEAS HUMANITIES 111: ANTIQUITY SUMMER 2015 COURSE PROJECT THE MOVIE: GILGAMESH NAME&SURNAME: İREM KARAKAYA NUMBER: 21300982 SECTION: HUM111-02 TEACHER'S NAME: Dr. PAUL KIMBALL It is known that Gilgamesh and Enkidu are most important characters in Epic of Gilgamesh. Almost all events happen around them. We see that in the ancient time ( approximately 2100 BC) Gilgamesh was king of Uruk. Uruk is the antique Sumerian city and it…

“Knowledge is power. Power to do evil...or power to do good. Power itself is not evil. So knowledge itself is not evil.” - Veronica Roth, Allegiant This quote references the age old theme of power versus knowledge. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, a young king named Gilgamesh strives for immortality. Gilgamesh acted for his own glory, and was a tyrant over his own people. This made him act less like a person, and his greed was his hubris. Gilgamesh was power hungry, never straying from his…

Gilgamesh is the great king of Uruk and is consider being the strongest man on earth. He constructs extraordinary walls that surround the magnificent city of Uruk. He also builds a remarkable rampart and temples for the gods and goddesses. In the eyes of the people he is an exceptional king because he did all these things for the good of the people, but reality he did it to benefit himself. He wanted to demonstrate to the world that he is a hero, but to do so, he must accomplish numerous of…

his domain, into a superb city. The Processional way, which was a noteworthy street utilized for formal parades, was cleared with vast stone pieces and kept running from the waterway to the royal residence complex and the passageway to the city, the Ishtar Gate. The door had four tall towers that spoke to the city's quality, and encompassing the course prompting the entryway were dividers brightened with blue coated blocks transposed with turquoise and gold shaded blocks with pictures of…

In the real world, people are always fighting for fame regardless of the consequences. Some people lose in their war to gain fame, as Ishtar did. The goddess lost her pride in her quest to win Gilgamesh 's heart. She is humiliated and even the Bull from Heaven is killed, and she is humbled. Odysseus’s story shows the way men go to war to fight for the glory of their nation. While at war…

When reading about the ancient heroes we see a close connection between them and their gods either through divine interference or protection. In his essay “The Gods of the Aeneid” Robert Coleman states, “Devine interventions were a traditional staple of epic, conferring status upon the human events portrayed, and evoking the world where gods and men were closer to one another (Coleman 143).” We see this play out not only in the “Aeneid,” but “Gilgamesh” and the “Iliad” as well with each poet…