Assn. #1

Much like the video presented in class about how a city’s skyline can tell the values of a population, by dissecting the Epic of Gilgamesh you can discover a lot about what the Mesopotamian culture held in high esteem. The ancient Mesopotamian's obviously valued the art of oral tradition because the true Gilgamesh reigned hundreds of years before his tales of heroism and tragedy were first published. They also expected a lot out of their rulers enough to compare them to, and even name them, gods. I also believe the Sumerians also strongly valued their heritage and history. If you take into account that each chapter was based loosely on an event that might of occurred, such as the great flood (which also holds similar characteristics with the genesis flood). The most apparent part of the ancient’s lifestyle was their strong connection with their gods. In almost every chapter Gilgamesh interacts, sometimes physically, with these other worldly beings. The Mesopotamians’ view of the gods was sometimes not so black and white, as seen in the book Gilgamesh and Ishtar. Here Ishtar is madly in love with Gilgamesh, however Gilgamesh outright rejects her. This shows that the people at this time respected Gilgamesh’s power enough so that even if he did outright disrespect a god, there would be no repercussions. Finally the death of Enkidu explores the more human side of Gilgamesh, after his grieving period Gilgamesh undertakes a quest for eternal life. When Gilgamesh ultimately fails his quest the lesson that it is possible to reach great success is entirely possible as a mortal.