The Epic Of Gilgamesh is the oldest known book in this world. How many books have been published worldwide in the last 24 hours? On average, more than six thousand paper books have been published on this question. It is very natural for a reader to have mixed feelings about such statistics.
From the earliest times to the postmodern era, the number of books printed has increased day by day and has not decreased. On the other hand, the fear is that the corporate world has been gradually moving away from paperless since the beginning of this century. So often, the question arises as to whether the printing of paper will end.
It is better to leave it in the hands of the future without moving towards it. The first printing press was invented in China, and the modern printing press we use today began its journey in Germany in 1440 under Gutenberg. Does that mean the birth of printing is the birth of publishing? No! Handwriting was introduced two and a half thousand years ago.
Moreover, all the religious texts and myths that exist in the world have been preserved in the beginning through handwriting. The book today we are going to know about is one of the oldest books of history. This book is considered one of the first books ever written.
The name of the book is ‘Epic of Gilgamesh‘. And It’s time to know more about one of the first books of the world’s history.
What People Think About ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’
If there is a question, anyone asks. What is the first written book of human civilization? The answer will be in one word; it is the ‘Epic of Gilgamesh.’ Mesopotamia (Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia) is believed to have been an ancient Sumerian civilization. And the first literary work of human civilization. ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’ was written by them.
Inscriptions were discovered in the Sumerian civilization of Mesopotamia in 3400 BC, and their written language is called ‘Archaic Cuneiform’. Day by day, this written language has become a powerful tool in creating evidence of civilization. Literature is the main influence behind the relationship between prehistoric and historical, and the ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’ serves as a guide.
Epic Of Gilgamesh Summary And Analysis
In the book ‘Epic Of Gilgamesh’, the Sumerians live in the city of Uruk (present-day Al-Warka in Iraq). They are more concerned with the rise and fall of their religious beliefs and their relationship with nature. The Gilgamesh epic’s main character is Gilgamesh himself, the king of the city of Uruk who defended the city with his divine powers.
The story of Gilgamesh, engraved on stone, begins with five poems to guide King Gilgamesh’s kingdom and trace his identity. The original epic begins with the next 5 poems. Gilgamesh The protagonist of the epic Gilgamesh (Gilgamesh in the first edition) is the son of Logalbanda, the 4th king of Uruk, and Ishwari Rimat Ninsan. In the book, his power was divided into three parts.
The Great Flood is specially mentioned in the epic, which bears a striking resemblance to Noah’s flood, the incarnation of Christianity. The Epic Of Gilgamesh is similar to the story of the Greek epic Odyssey. We read comic books about the Mughals or Tarzan at an early age. One such character will meet in the epic Gilgamesh whose name is Enkidu.
This character in the book Enkidu was raised isolated in a jungle. And had no connection with the story. The storyline began from here. The protagonist of the book ‘Epic Of Gilgamesh’ must be ‘Gilgamesh’ himself, who has a bad temper and a negative personality despite being an oppressive king.
This book can be distractive for some religious beliefs, especially those who believe in one god. So, I won’t recommend reading this book. But you can gain more knowledge about it in terms of curiosity.