A retelling of “The Epic of Gilgamesh” – the earliest dramatic epic poem composed about 5,000 years ago, which deals with problems affecting us today. (49 min.)
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The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from Ancient Mesopotamia and is among the earliest known literary works. Scholars surmise that a series of Sumerian legends and poems about the mythological hero-king Gilgamesh, thought to be a ruler in the 3rd millennium B.C, were gathered into a longer Akkadian poem long afterward, with the most complete version extant today preserved on twelve clay tablets in the library collection of the 7th century B.C Assyrian king Ashurbanipal.
The essential story revolves around the relationship between Gilgamesh, a king who has become distracted and disheartened by his rule, and a friend, Enkidu, who is half-wild and who undertakes dangerous quests with Gilgamesh. Much of the epic focuses on Gilgamesh’s thoughts of loss following Enkidu’s death, and is often credited by historians as being one of the first literary works with high emphasis on immortality.
In this lecture, Dr. David Neiman recounts the major points in this epic poem in a manner that is both entertaining and enlightening.
