Books / epic-of-gilgamesh
Facts about Epic of Gilgamesh
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Twelve clay tablets contain the most complete version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, discovered in the ruins of the Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh.
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Enkidu, the wild man created by the gods to rival Gilgamesh, becomes his closest companion and their friendship is central to the epic's themes.
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Gilgamesh, the epic's central hero, is described as two-thirds god and one-third human, reflecting ancient Mesopotamian ideas about divine kingship.
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A flood narrative in the Epic of Gilgamesh closely parallels the biblical story of Noah, with a hero warned by gods to build a boat and survive a great deluge.
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The Epic of Gilgamesh is among the oldest surviving works of literature, originating in ancient Mesopotamia and written in cuneiform script.