Epic of Gilgamesh: myths and heroes in ancient Mesopotamia

About this episode

The episode explores the Epic of Gilgamesh, its historical context, and its themes of companionship and environmental protection.

Greg Jenner is joined in the ancient world by Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid and comedian Marjolein Robertson to learn all about the famous Mesopotamian poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh. Sumerian poems about a legendary king called Gilgamesh began to be composed sometime in the third millennium, and were told and retold throughout Mesopotamia until a Babylonian scholar named Sîn-leqi-unninni wrote down what has become the standard version. The tale he recorded tells of a tyrannical king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, and the transformative journey he takes with his enemy-turned-friend (and possibly more), Enkidu. In the 3100 lines of the poem, they fight forest guardians and celestial bulls, anger the gods, and even challenge death itself. In this episode, we retell the story of Gilgamesh, exploring the history of the epic’s composition, what it tells us about ancient Mesopotamian storytelling and beliefs, and how it was rediscovered in the nineteenth century, written in cuneiform on clay tablets housed in the Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh. We also look at the themes of companionship, community and environmental protection that are still relevant today, and ask the question: is Gilgamesh just a…

People in this episode

Host: Greg Jenner

Guests: Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid, Marjolein Robertson

Topics covered

• ancient Mesopotamia
• Epic of Gilgamesh
• myths and legends
• heroic kings
• storytelling
• environmental protection

Keywords

• Gilgamesh
• Mesopotamian poem
• cuneiform
• ancient history
• heroic quests
• Sumerian poems
• transformative journey
• celestial bulls
• gods
• death

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Library of Ashurbanipal

Books & works: Epic of Gilgamesh

Places: Mesopotamia, Uruk, Nineveh

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