1. The Literature of Ancient Mesopotamia
Mrs. Julie Tedder
English II

2. Mesopotamia - “The land between the rivers”
Mesopotamia is the name given by the Greeks to an ancient area of the Middle East now known as modern-day Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria.
This region is also known as the Fertile Crescent, an agriculturally rich land watered by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

3. The Sumerians were the first people to dominate this region, settling here sometime between 5000 and 4000 BC.

4. The Sumerians : Grew crops and raised cattle for a living
Were successful merchants and traders
Were known for their stonework, metalwork, and sculpture

5. The Sumerians lived in city-states, much like the Greeks:
City-states were walled for protection against invaders
Pyramid-like temples, called Ziggurats, were the center of the cities
The priests of the ziggurats were considered the earthly representatives of the gods

6. Sumerian society was based upon a strict Class system
Upper Class = priests, government officials
Middle Class = merchants, artisans, doctors
Lower Class = peasants, farmers, slaves

7. The Sumerians achieved a high level of culture and learning
Knowledge of architecture
Developments in science, math, astrology
Created one of the world’s first systems of writing, known as cuneiform, consisting of a wedge-shaped marking made with a stick on clay tablets

8. The largest city-states, such as Ur, Uruk, and Lagash, had populations in tens of thousands.
Many city-states were in sight of each other
But the Sumerians never organized a strong central government
They often competed against each other for land and resources
This made it easy for stronger enemies to capture and control them later

9. Because the Sumerians failed to form a unified government, they were vulnerable to the attacks of different nations:
Akkadians (~2500 BC)
Babylonians (~2000 BC)
Hittites (~1600 BC)
Assyrians (~900 BC)
Chaldeans (~612 BC)
Persians (~539 BC)

10. It was during the reign of the Babylonians that the story of a great king called “Gilgamesh” became translated and preserved
The story was written ~ 4000 years ago
It takes the form of an epic poem
Tells of a king who actually reigned over the city-state of Uruk sometime between 2700 and 2500 BC
The story was originally found on broken Sumerian tablets and restored / translated by the Babylonians

11. The epic tells of the superhuman adventures of the legendary king
Legend has it that Gilgamesh is two parts god and one part human, thus possessing both supernatural powers and human weaknesses
Though he was a great leader of a mighty city, he suffered from excessive pride (hubris).
His anger at the gods over the death of a friend leads him to seek eternal life
Though he confronts obstacles along the way, he must ultimately accept his human limitations

12. The epic tells of the superhuman adventures of the legendary king

13. The selections of Gilgamesh we will read are based upon 12 clay tablets of cuneiform script.
These tablets were among 25,000 discovered in modern Iraq at Ninevah in the buried ruins of the library of King Assurbanipal of Assyria
The original tablets were damaged in a fire during a Persian raid around 612 BC, but recent discoveries of older versions of the epic helped to reclaim the parts of the story that were missing.

14. The epic was so widely known that scholars believe it served as an archetype, or model, for hero myths around the world
Greece, India, and Persia would later model characters and adventures after those portrayed in Gilgamesh
The epic reveals a great deal about the ancient Mesopotamians’ sometimes pessimistic (negative) views of existence
But it also shows us the sensitivity and humanity of these ancient peoples, who are not unlike us in their joys, sorrows, and strivings

15. Background of the Sumerian Beliefs reflected in the Epic of Gilgamesh
Though they were advanced for their time, the Sumerian and Babylonian civilizations were powerless against ever-present threats of floods, droughts, and invaders.
They worshipped a pantheon, or “family,” of unpredictable gods and goddesses who could bring misfortune as well as favor.
Regardless of social status or level of goodness, there was no joyful afterlife to look forward to.
No wonder these people had a negative outlook on life!

16. These pessimistic (negative) beliefs are evident in the Epic of Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh, in spite of his great powers, suffers a life-changing loss. When the person who means the most to him dies, the proud Gilgamesh must come to terms with the reality that he himself will not live forever.
Because, in the Sumerian view, death offers only emptimess, Gilgamesh rebels against it, and sets off on a quest to attain immortality (eternal life).

17. Gilgamesh is the earliest known of the Epic Heroes
All epic heroes are human beings
All have supernatural strength and spiritual powers
All are mighty leaders of their people
Most of them are of mixed divine and human birth
Most of them possess human weakness, which forces them to accept human limitations in spite of their power

18. Why are Epic Heroes so important to us?
We admire them for their divine, supernatural powers, and often wish to be like them
We sympathize with them because their human weaknesses and difficulties remind us of our own