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The Epic of Gilgamish


by

Stephen Langdon


University of Pennsylvania
The University Museum
Publications of the Babylonian Section
Vol. X No. 3






INTRODUCTION


In the year 1914 the University Museum secured by purchase a large
six column tablet nearly complete, carrying originally, according to
the scribal note, 240 lines of text. The contents supply the South
Babylonian version of the second book of the epic _sa nagba imuru_,
"He who has seen all things," commonly referred to as the Epic of
Gilgamish. The tablet is said to have been found at Senkere, ancient
Larsa near Warka, modern Arabic name for and vulgar descendant
of the ancient name Uruk, the Biblical Erech mentioned in Genesis
X. 10. This fact makes the new text the more interesting since the
legend of Gilgamish is said to have originated at Erech and the
hero in fact figures as one of the prehistoric Sumerian rulers of
that ancient city. The dynastic list preserved on a Nippur tablet
[1] mentions him as the fifth king of a legendary line of rulers at
Erech, who succeeded the dynasty of Kish, a city in North Babylonia
near the more famous but more recent city Babylon. The list at Erech
contains the names of two well known Sumerian deities, Lugalbanda
[2] and Tammuz. The reign of the former is given at 1,200 years and
that of Tammuz at 100 years. Gilgamish ruled 126 years. We have to
do here with a confusion of myth and history in which the real facts
are disengaged only by conjecture.

The prehistoric Sumerian dynasties were all transformed into the realm
of myth and legend. Nevertheless these rulers, although appearing
in the pretentious nomenclature as gods, appear to have been real
historic personages. [3] The name Gilgamish was originally written
_d_Gi-bil-aga-mis, and means "The fire god (_Gibil_) is a commander,"
abbreviated to _d_Gi-bil-ga-mis, and _d_Gi(s)-bil-ga-mis, a form
which by full labialization of _b_ to _u_ was finally contracted to
_d_Gi-il-ga-mis.
[4] Throughout the new text the name is written with
the abbreviation _d_Gi(s), [5] whereas the standard Assyrian text
has consistently the writing _d_GIS-TU [6]-BAR. The latter method of
writing the name is apparently cryptographic for _d_Gis-bar-aga-(mis);
the fire god _Gibil_ has also the title _Gis-bar_.

A fragment of the South Babylonian version of the tenth book was
published in 1902, a text from the period of Hammurapi, which showed
that the Babylonian epic differed very much from the Assyrian in
diction, but not in content. The new tablet, which belongs to the same
period, also differs radically from the diction of the Ninevite text
in the few lines where they duplicate each other. The first line of the
new tablet corresponds to Tablet I, Col. V 25 of the Assyrian text, [7]
where Gilgamish begins to relate his dreams to his mother Ninsun. [8]

The last line of Col. I corresponds to the Assyrian version Book I,
Col. VI 29. From this point onward the new tablet takes up a hitherto
unknown portion of the epic, henceforth to be assigned to the second
book. [9]

At the end of Book I in the Assyrian text and at the end of Col. I of
Book II in the new text, the situation in the legend is as follows. The
harlot halts outside the city of Erech with the enamoured Enkidu,
while she relates to him the two dreams of the king, Gilgamish. In
these dreams which he has told to his mother he receives premonition
concerning the advent of the satyr Enkidu, destined to join with him
in the conquest of Elam.

Now the harlot urges Enkidu to enter the beautiful city, to clothe
himself like other men and to learn the ways of civilization. When
he enters he sees someone, whose name is broken away, eating bread
and drinking milk, but the beautiful barbarian understands not.