the epic of gilgamesh *author unknown (multiple authors) *circa 1900 bce – 4,000 years ago...
TRANSCRIPT
The Epic of Gilgamesh
*Author unknown (multiple authors)*Circa 1900 BCE – 4,000 years ago*Akkadian cuneiform (proto-writing)*Babylonia (Sumerian and Akkadian)*The oldest work of literature in the history of humankind!
The cradle of civilization
• Babylon was one of the first, great civilized nation states in the Indo-European region.
• It developed social system of storing and distributing food.
• It was also the first major civilization to implement taxation.
• The first system of graphic representation of language developed in Babylon.
• These graphics evolved into the first form of writing: cuneiform.
The cradle of civilization
• Babylon was one of the first, great civilized nation states in the Indo-European region.
• It developed social system of storing and distributing food.
• It was also the first major civilization to implement taxation.
• The first system of graphic representation of language developed in Babylon.
• These graphics evolved into the first form of writing: cuneiform.
Cunei = “wedge”Form = “shape”
The cradle of civilization
• Today, the nation of Iraq occupies the center of what was once the heart of Babylon.
• You can visit Babylon’s ancient cities, like “Uruk” where Gilgamesh was king.
The first book-keeping
• Food storage, taxation, complex temple organization made it necessary to …
• Keep track of inventory, rites and rituals, and money!
• Babylonians began using graphic illustrations:• Simple• Uniform• Sketches
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/writing/story
Writing evolves into “cuneiforms”
• Eventually these illustrations became lined, wedge-shaped symbols, called “cuneiforms”
• At first they were randomly ordered
• After time, they were ordered in a line … like a sentence from left to right
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/writing/story
Writing evolves into “cuneiforms”
• The shape of many words evolved over time:
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/writing/story
http://www.virtualmuseumiraq.cnr.it/homeENG.htm
Cuneiform writing
• For thousands of years, the ability to read or write cuneiform disappeared from the face of the Earth.
• Works like Gilgamesh, which were written in cuneiform on clay tablets, were lost or destroyed by invading armies.
• The Epic of Gilgamesh disappeared, and was unknown by humankind from 100 CE to the late 19th century—1,800 years!
• Eventually, scholars discovered cuneiform tablets and began to decipher them. (Assyriologists)
Cuneiform writing
• Cuneiform symbols can be deciphered alphabetically:
Cuneiform writing
• Cuneiform symbols can be deciphered alphabetically.
• But they also have characters for word part sounds, creating whole word sounds:
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/writing/story
The Epic of Gilgamesh
• Written on clay tablets by hundreds of scribes over many centuries.
• No single “manuscript” exists.• Sections—both large and small—are
still missing, yet to be discovered.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Implications. In small groups, discuss:
• Based on what you’ve learned about the following, what questions do you have.
• What are some characteristics of Gilgamesh you expect?
• How would the process of writing cuneiform effect the text itself?
• What does it say about the text that it was written for thousands of years?
• Why is this text important from an historical standpoint?