The Epic of
Gilgamesh
The oldest story ever recorded
A Great but Terrible King
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Gilgamesh was the
King of Uruk
His city-state was
wealthy and powerful
He wanted to show
off his power
His people suffered
under his leadership
The Walls of Uruk
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Gilgamesh ordered the walls of Uruk to reach
the sky
It was a great symbol of power, but a waste of
valuable resources
The People of Uruk Ask for
Help
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Gilgamesh’s people
were forced to work
on walls
Other jobs were left
undone, city was in
danger
The elders prayed to
the gods for help
Gilgamesh and the Gods
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Gilgamesh was a favorite of the gods, and they
gave him his great strength and power
However, they also appreciated the loyalty and
faith of the people of Uruk
Enkidu
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The gods did not want to punish Gilgamesh
directly so they created a monster to kill him
Enkidu was part man, part animal and sent to
the forests outside of the city
Enkidu
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Enkidu was spotted
by hunters
Villagers refused to
go into the woods
They appealed to
King Gilgamesh for
help
Gilgamesh ordered
them back to work on
the walls!
If you want it done right, send
a woman!
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The hunters refused
to enter the forest
One woman offered
to go and find the
monster
The men were too
scared to help her
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Enkidu
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Enkidu was a wild animal
He loved and protected some of the animals
He feared humans who were strange creatures
compared to the animals of the forest
Enkidu
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Enkidu was afraid of
the woman, but found
her beautiful
A lion attacked the
woman
Enkidu protected her
as he protected
others
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The Woman “Tames” Enkidu
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The woman teaches
Enkidu to speak,
dress, and act like a
man
She leads him out of
the forest and into a
village outside of Uruk
There, Enkidu learns
of Gilgamesh
The Battle
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King Gilgamesh and
Enkidu meet
They fight a terrible
battle
Neither man has the
advantage and the
battle continues until
both men exhaust
themselves
Gilgamesh and Enkidu
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The exhausted men
can not continue to
fight
They immediately
develop a great
respect and love for
each other
The two become
“brothers”
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A New Start
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Enkidu sees the good in Gilgamesh and wants
others to see it too
Gilgamesh decides to prove his greatness by
ridding the world of evil
Humbaba
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Gilgamesh travels to
the Cedar Forest
Enkidu tries to
convince Gilgamesh
not to attack
Humbaba
Gilgamesh insists,
and Enkidu is forced
to help his friend
Humbaba of the Cedar Forest
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Ishtar
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The gods were
angered by
Humbaba’s death
His heroism attracted
the attention of Ishtar
She appeared to him
and asked him to
marry her
Ishtar’s Wrath
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Ishtar begged her
father Anu to give her
the Bull of Heaven to
punish Gilgamesh
The Bull ravaged the
city and its inhabitants
More Teamwork!
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Gilgamesh and Enkidu defend their city
People of Uruk watch on
Another fierce battle
Anoter victory for the dynamic duo
Another insult
Ishtar’s Revenge
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Enkidu gets very sick
Slowly, the life drains out of him
Enkidu dies with Gilgamesh at his side
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Gilgamesh Goes Crazy
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Gilgamesh is
devastated
He does not know or
understand death
He seeks out an
ancient ancestor who
did not die
The Terrible Journey
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Gilgamesh traveled across the entire known world
Through the Mountains of Mashu, guarded by the
Scorpion Men
Entered the Garden of Shamash the sun
Despite pleas even from the gods, Gilgamesh continued
on
Utnapishtim
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Across the bitter river
lived a man who did not
die
A long time ago he was
chosen by the gods
He built a ship and saved
a pair of all living things
The gods then destroyed
the earth and started
again
Utnapishtim
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Gilgamesh was told his
travels were useless
The gods gave
Utnapishtim life, not his
own deeds
Gilgamesh is sent away,
back the way he came
Out of pity, Utnapishtim
told him of the Rose
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Back Home
are
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Gilgamesh returned home empty handed
He marveled at the waste that he created
He vowed to be a great leader
Died a mortal’s death, beside his friend