Post

The Epic of Gilgamesh (Standard Babylonian version) tablets 1 - 5 by multiple authors, compiled by Sîn-lēqi-unninni
Audiobook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPYf8AwNvKg
Text: https://archive.org/stream/TheEpicofGilgamesh_201606/eog_djvu.txt

The Epic of Gilgamesh posted here is the Standard Babylonian version that was compiled by Sîn-lēqi-unninni during the Kassite Dynasty of Babylon c. 1300-1000 BC. The story (or rather stories) are older still, with an Old Babylonian version that is less well preserved from around 1800 BC, and several poems recounting events in this version and others besides that are from the Sumerian Renaissance of the Neo-Sumerian Empire of the Third Dynasty of Ur around 2100 BC, when legendary tales of old were promoted by the state and actively spread amongst the public.

As I go through various readings, it's interesting to use the events and places covered therein to segue into discussing parallels in history or other literature of contemporaneous or relevant cultures. In this case, we see mention that Abram, the common patriarch of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is said to have been born in Ur of the Chaldees (ʾŪr Kaśdīm). There is indeed a historical Ur, a major city of southern Mesopotamia, prominent during the Sumerian civilization, which eventually came to be settled by a group called the Chaldeans, although this happened relatively late in history, probably not before around 1000 BC, which might put pressure on the amount of time available between Abram's departure to Canaan and the historically identified events of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament.

This week is relatively short at just under 43 minutes; it covers the first 5 of 11 tablets (excluding the 12th which is an addendum that does not fit into the narrative of the first 11, but does appear to be based upon one of the oldest poems), through the events around Humbaba. I will post the remaining hour next week(?), picking up where the goddess Ishtar attempts to court Gilgamesh...