Information AboutGilgamesh |
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| epic of gilgamesh | |
| sumerian mythology | |
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Gilgamesh, according to the Sumerian King List , was the fifth king of Uruk (Early Dynastic II, first dynasty of Uruk), the son of Lugalbanda , ruling circa 2700 BC . He is also the central character in the '' Epic Of Gilgamesh '', which says that his mother was Ninsun , (whom some call Rimat Ninsun), a goddess. Gilgamesh is described as two-thirds god and one-third human, making him one of the first Superhuman characters in recorded history. According to another document, known as the "History of Tummal", Gilgamesh, and eventually his son Urlugal, rebuilt the sanctuary of the goddess Ninlil , located in Tummal, a block of the Nippur city. In Mesopotamian Mythology , Gilgamesh is credited with having been a Demigod of superhuman strength who built a great wall to defend his people from external threats. CUNEIFORM REFERENCES In the '' Epic Of Gilgamesh '', Gilgamesh is said to have ordered the creation of the legendary walls of Uruk . An alternative version has Gilgamesh, towards the end of the story, boasting to Urshanabi, the ferryman's wife, that the city's walls were built by the Seven Sages. In historical times, Sargon Of Akkad claimed to have destroyed these walls to prove his military power. Fragments of an epic text found in Me-Turan (modern Tell Haddad) relate that Gilgamesh was buried under the waters of a river at the end of his life. The people of Uruk diverted the flow of the Euphrates River crossing Uruk for the purpose of burying the dead king within the riverbed. In April 2003 , a German expedition discovered what is thought to be the entire city of Uruk - including, where the Euphrates once flowed, the last resting place of its King Gilgamesh. Despite the lack of direct evidence, most scholars do not object to consideration of Gilgamesh as a historical figure, particularly after inscriptions were found confirming the historical existence of other figures associated with him: kings Enmebaragesi and Aga of Kish . If Gilgamesh were a historical king, he probably reigned in about the 26th Century BC . Some of the earliest Sumerian texts spell his name as ''Bilgames''. Initial difficulties in reading cuneiform resulted in Gilgamesh making his re-entrance into world culture in 1891 as "Izdubar".In Alfred Jeremias , ''Izdubar-Nimrod, eine altbabylonische Heldensage'' (1891). In most texts, Gilgamesh is written with the determinative for divine beings (''DINGIR'') - but there is no evidence for a contemporary cult, and the Sumer ian Gilgamesh myths suggest the deification was a later development (unlike the case of the Akkad ian god-kings). Historical or not, Gilgamesh became a legendary protagonist in the ''Epic of Gilgamesh''. The name Gilgamesh appears once in Greek, as "Gilgamos". The story is a variant of the , ''On animals'' 12.21; Burkert's citation as ''Varia historia'' is an editing error. IN POPULAR CULTURE
''Gilgamesh, a king. Gilgamesh, a king. At Uruk. He tormented his subjects. He made them angry. They cried out aloud, "Send our king a companion! Spare us from his madness!"''
SEE ALSO
NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY
EXTERNAL LINKS Original Cuneiform Text
Text translations
Translations for several legends of Gilgamesh in the Sumerian Language have been written by:
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