The Epic of Gilgamesh

The oldest great epic: the Sumerian king Gilgamesh's friendship, grief, and failed quest for immortality.

Specifications & Metrics

author

Anonymous (standard version: Sin-Leqi-Unninni)

type

Epic poem

era

Old Babylonian to Standard Babylonian (c. 2100–1200 BC)

language

Sumerian and Akkadian

verse form

Akkadian epic verse

cantos count

12

Core Principles & Analysis

• The standard Babylonian version runs twelve tablets, edited by Sin-Leqi-Unninni.
• Its tablet of the flood parallels — and predates — the Genesis flood narrative.
• Ashurbanipal's library at Nineveh preserved the best-known tablets.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Epic of Gilgamesh