Gilgamesh Comparison

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The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story written during the Mesopotamian time period. It follows Gilgamesh, a heavy handed ruler of Uruk. It was told that, “Two-thirds of him was divine, and one-third mortal” (Myths from Mesopotamia, 14). The story goes into the details about the accomplishments and struggles that Gilgamesh will face throughout his journeys. Given how the story has been around since 2700 B.C.E, there are different versions that have been transcribed by scholars. Depending on the version, certain portions of the story will be completely different. In one, Gilgamesh will seek for life for Enkidu. In another, Gilgamesh will seek for immortality to save himself. One version shows compassion and the latter shows selfishness. The more widely…show more content…
According to the Epic, there was a meeting and it was there that it was “Decided that the great gods should make a flood” (Myths from Mesopotamia, 19). Ea, the God of Earth and Water, was a part of that meeting, but gave warning to a man. He told that man to build a boat and to collect all living things. This story is closely related to that of Noah’s Ark, which can be found in the Genesis. Enkidu in a way himself is the presence of nature in its purest form. He was created from the gods themselves. He ate with the animals. He drank with the animals. It was only when he felt the touch of a ‘civilized’ being that is when his purity was tarnished. No longer pure, the animals no longer accepted him as one of their…show more content…
Civilization is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as the “The process by which a society or place reaches an advanced stage of social development and organization” (Civilization). A civilization should have the following traits: it’s urban, has a structured society, religion, writing system, complex architecture. Uruk, would satisfy all of those conditions. Gilgamesh ruled over a city that was unrivaled throughout the entire Mesopotamia area. The epic shows that the people of Mesopotamia had a system of agriculture that raised cattle and horses. The writing system used to record the Epic was called cuneiform. By the time the Epic was recorded cuneiform had already been in used for several hundred

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