Lecture 4-Mesopotamian

Literature

Destruction of Ashurbnaipal’s

Library

Epic Poetry

Themes and Messages

Legend of Gilgamesh

Subject

Versions

Bilgames Stories

Bilgames and Agga

Bilgames and the Cedar Mountain

Bilgames and the Bull of Heaven

Bilgames and the Netherworld

The Death of Bilgames

The Epic of Creation

The Descent of Inanna

and Dumuzi’s Death

The Defeat of Zu

Fragmentary epics

Story of Atrahasis

Story of Adapa

Lugalbanda and the Thunderbird

Histories

Legal Documents

Code of Hammurabi

Hymns and Prayers

Prayer to the

Gods of the

Night

Hymns

Prayers

Lamentations

Social Satire

Animal stories

Fictional letters or contracts

Mesage