History Near East:Atrahasis & The Epic of Gilgamesh Essay

Atrahasis

Atrahasis is the name of the Mesopotamian hero from the myth about the Flood. It is reflected in the records of Assyro-Babylonian literature, describing the times between the Old Babylonian period and the New Babylonian period. In Sumerian language the name of him was Ziusudra. “The Sumerian pantheon, which was accepted and assimilated by the Semitic Babylonians, had a pyramid structure, with the god An, the sky, at its head, sharing power with his two sons Enlil and Enki, all having clearly defined areas of responsibility.” (George 1999). Each of them had to control some part of the world, An was responsible for the sky, Enlil – for the earth and Enki – for the ocean waters. Enlil was the one, who provided the royal power to Sumerians, because his social grouping was the most powerful. Enki’s son, Marduk was not involved into the decision-making process. The major conflict was correspondingly between Enki and Enlil. In some research findings this confrontation between two gods was presented as reflection of the confrontation between two different religions, namely heavenly one and chthonic, which were interrelated in Sumerian religious system. Generally the Babylonians revealed more support towards Enki, considering Enlil to be less wise and having poor attitude towards humans. The Great Flood this is a mythological story about a great destruction, which took place on the Earth.  Generally there were various variants of this event; in most sources the Biblical version is supported. Most of the historians are sure that there was a real event behind this story, which took place in southern Babylonia in the twenty-eighth century BCE. The Epic of Atrahasis is considered to be the fullest account of the Great Flood. There were several versions of the text, some of them were written by Assyrian scribes, others by writers of the king Ammi-saduga. The story of the Flood belongs to the last part of the epic.

The Epic of Gilgamesh

The earliest Sumerian versions of “The Epic of Gilgamesh” are dated in the period of the Third Dynasty of Ur – 2150 – 2000 BCE. They were written in Sumerian script, which was considered to be one of the earliest forms of written expression. It presents a mixture of tales, myths, folklore, presenting a collection of small stories and myths, which were united into one single work. “The earliest Akkadian versions (Akkadian is a later, unrelated, Mesopotamian language, which also used the cuneiform writing system) are dated to the early 2nd millennium.” (George 1999). Some pieces of the Gilgamesh story were found in various places in Syria, Turkey. The standard edition was made on the basis of the modern translations with introduction of some older Sumerian versions, in order to make it complete and cover the gaps. Historians assume that Gilgamesh was a real ruler in the late Early Dynastic II period (c. 27th Century BCE). There were a lot of artifacts found, which were related to Enmebaragesi of Kish, who was said to be the father of one of Gilgamesh adversaries, according to the legend. There were Sumerian king lists, where Gilgamesh was mentioned as the fifth king, who seized power after the flood. “According to some scholars, there are many parallel verses, as well as themes or episodes, which indicate a substantial influence of the “Epic of Gilgamesh” on the later Greek epic poem “The Odyssey”, ascribed to Homer.” (George 1999). There were a lot of parallels, drawn between Gilgamesh and the story of Noah’s ark from the Bible, or other stories in other religions, devoted to the theme of building boat and saving some part of life on the earth.

Irrespective of the fact, that this work is rather old, it is not possible not to admit its meaning for reflection of eternal human concern with mortality and search for knowledge.

Works cited:

George, A. The Epic of Gilgamesh: the Babylonian Epic Poem and Other Texts in Akkadian and Sumerian, Harmondsworth: Allen Lane The Penguin Press, 1999

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

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"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
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[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]
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