Epic of Gilgamesh
epic poem from Mesopotamia, is amongst the earliest surviving works of literature
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Summary
Epic of Gilgamesh is a literary work[1]. It ranks in the top 0.077% of literary work entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (55,033 views/month, #22 of 28,446).[2]
Key Facts
- Genre: epic poem[3]
- Named after: Gilgamesh[4]
- Location: Mesopotamia[5]
- Commons category: Epic of Gilgamesh[6]
- Language of work or name: Akkadian[7]
- Inception: 2100 BC[8]
- Characters: Gilgamesh[9], Enkidu[10]
- Has edition or translation: Gilgamesh: A Klingon Translation[11], Ipizzi[12], Q19148030[13]
- Topic's main category: Category:Epic of Gilgamesh[14]
- Main subject: pursuit of immortality[15]
- Work available at URL: https://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/[16]
- Described at URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/12/books/booksupdate/ai-ancient-tablets-gilgamesh.html[17], https://www.ebl.lmu.de/corpus/L/1/4[18]
- Described by source: Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1926–1947)[19], Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition[20]
- On focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:List of articles all languages should have[21], Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4[22]
- Narrative motif: giants with shaggy hair on their bodies[23], deity in love with human[24], monster ox (bull) killed[25], cart of lapis lazuli and gold with golden wheels[26], woman avenges scorned love[27], bestiality[28], giant lion overcome by hero[29], garden of the deities[30], mountain where sun goes through[31], entrance to lower world through mountain[32], sea-goddess[33], ferryman on river in lower world[34], flood caused by deities or other superior beings[35], magic bread[36]
- Form of creative work: novel[37]
Why It Matters
Epic of Gilgamesh has Wikipedia articles in 29 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[38] It is known by 38 alternative names across languages and contexts.[39]