How Did Gilgamesh Search For Immortality

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The excerpt The Epic of Gilamesh is the story of King Gilgamesh, who was in search for everlasting immortality from the gods after he experiences a death of a close friend by the name Enkidu. The excerpts illustrate how Gilgamesh acquired different characteristics from multiple gods to be as powerful as he was in the ancient world, such as the god of the sun whom bestowed the king with beauty. It goes, as far as to say that King Gilamesh was part human and part god. Which suggests that Mesopotamians believed that the gods and goddesses would pass on many of their traits on to certain people who they felt would be worthy of it, such as Kings. According to Crossroads and Cultures, Chapter 2 Temples and palaces: Birth of the City, Mesopotamians believed in polytheism which gives aiding evidence as to why Mesopotamians depicted King Gilgamesh as part human and part god. It raises the question as to why King Gilgamesh being part god and part human would have to search for immortality and why the gods and goddesses…show more content…
In the excerpt along with the book Crossroads and Culture, it indicates that the gods gave death to humans, but kept ever lasting immortality for themselves. This explains why Gilamesh although part god as described by the Mesopotamians, would face death for himself. The way the Mesopotamians saw the relationship between the Devine and human mortality is completely different than today. In the ancient world kings and the Devine where depicted as given power directly from the gods and goddess unlike today, we do not feel god has specifically chosen certain people to bestow power and religion upon society. In present time we have separation of church and state. As well it defers, as we do not see immortality as something that is obtainable. However, we do honor and praise gods in most religion just as the Mesopotamians did in the ancient

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