Ishtar

Gilgamesh is among the literary epics that have been filtered through the experiences of many storytellers from Mesopotamia. An exploration of the life in the desert setting is one that combines attributes of lack and abundance, and also exposure to danger and imminent opportunity. For example, the epic tells of the common experience of floods, which were very useful to the people in that they enriched the land. Unfortunately, the floods were also as unpredictable and adverse for the people of…

case pride wins and breeds more pride. Gilgamesh and Enkidu take out on a journey to garner even more fame. They set out to the cedar forest and slay the giant Humbaba. Gilgamesh gets exactly the product he sets out for. He gets recognized by Ishtar, the goddess of love and warfare, but she also has a reputation that Gilgamesh does not desire. She is enraged and sends the Bull of Heaven on the two men. There defeat of the Bull causes the god’s to meet to avoid the two men causing any…

The period between 4000 – 3500 BC was were the civilization began during the Mesopotamian Era. The people of Mesopotamia lived between the Tigris and Euphrates River where they developed government and learned how to write. The first library was derived from this time where they created clay tablets to record events and create stories tales. One of the most famous mythical poems that was written in clay tablet was The Epic of Gilgamesh. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a poem that was created by the…

The Epic of Gilgamesh The rhetorical project that The Epic of Gilgamesh is engaged in is immortality.As of this day humankind has managed to keep up and not go extinct. However in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is frightened towards the fact that one day he will die. All of what he has achieved, everything he’s done, whether it be a good thing or bad, it will all come to an end. Forever doesn’t exist, that’s the saying we live by, at least in my opinion. As one reads the text you come to the…

When reviewing the epic of Gilgamesh one needs to understand some of the historical context of the ancient Mesopotamia. Secondly, the story reflects several worldviews. Looking deeper in the epic one can see different stages of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. And finally, the epic has many different universal concepts that relate to our society today. To begin, the epic begins with the introduction of the city of Uruk and Gilgamesh its king. Gilgamesh is two thirds god, and one third man.…

Herbert Mason’s translation of Gilgamesh presents a very unique dynamic in the central relationship of the epic between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Scholars have come to the understanding that that the relationship portrayed in this version is different from that found in earlier translations of the text, but Mason’s portrayal seems to represent the most honest image of the situation. Gilgamesh and Enkidu cannot fully be equals because Gilgamesh is seen first as a god-king and Enkidu is identified as…

The Epic Gilgamesh and its Effects on Modern Heros The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest surviving written pieces of literature, there are various versions of the epic but one of the most widely read, and the one I will be using for reference, is the modern english one translated by N. K. Sandars. The Epic of Gilgamesh is about the tyrannical King of Uruk, Gilgamesh, who is part man, part god and follows his journey and transformation as he becomes a true hero. Though the story is…

In the literary works, the book of Genesis and The Epic Of Gilgamesh it puts a focus on the use of character development. Through establishing a fundamental understanding of a characters journey for self worth. Two characters that compare and contrast these ideologies is Noah from the book of Genesis and Gilgamesh from its own epic story. Readers look at these two characters from their perspective roles as saviors for the greater good of people. However, readers may question if their fight for…

Robert Koldeway interested in finding the Ishtar Gate. Covered by sand pieces of bricks of The Ishtar Gate were discovered in 1887. This man took back with him pieces to investigate them and found that they were part of the gate. The excavations started in 1899, as time passed more pieces of bricks and a pair of parallel walls with a road were found. Incredibly the bricks still maintain a very good aspect and there is a reconstruction in a museum of the Ishtar Gate with the same bricks that were…

The Food of Civilization: Humanity, the Natural Order, and the Epic of Gilgamesh The Epic of Gilgamesh is widely known as an epic about early human civilization and what it means to be human. While these ideas are often researched and discussed in scholarly works, there is one aspect of civilization that is frequently overlooked: food. Food and it’s procuration are one of the three basic needs of a human—as we all known from mister Abraham Maslow and the various forms of Psychology 101 taken at…