The Epic of Gilgamesh had a hero that was in an actual sense a historical figure. The king who ruled the Sumerian city of Uruk in 2700b.c. Despite having been a tyranny ruler where he could use his power to take what he wanted, the cry of the people reaches the gods who in return creates Enkidu from clay (Tablet1 p.2). Through his friendship with Gilgamesh, Enkidu transforms the king into a wise ruler that was once again accepted and respected by the Sumerian people. However, after his death, people gave their attributes to Gilgamesh by worshipping and terming him as a warrior and a builder who had wisdom as well as judiciousness. Uruk, the city, reigned over by Gilgamesh used to be one of the many cities considered significant in the ancient Mesopotamia. It can be asserted that the historical king Gilgamesh might have built its walls which archaeologists approximates its perimeter to six miles.The ruins of the city rest in the southern part of Iraq near Warka town.

The main characters in the Epic of Gilgamesh and their nature of relationship

Despite the existence of various characters in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the main characters are Gilgamesh the Sumerian Ruler and Enkidu who lived in the wilderness. The existence of Enkidu is as a result of the cry of the people to god Anu who created a being with equal strength as Gilgamesh (Tablet i p.3). At first, their relationship is full of animosity and hatred. Enkidu lives in the wilderness while Gilgamesh dwells in the city; hence, Enkidu did not know about civilization. In their first meeting, Enkidu blocks Gilgamesh’s path by standing on the threshold of the bedchamber for Gilgamesh’s bride (Tablet ii p.9). The two men fight but after Enkidu is defeated he bows to Gilgamesh and declares him the rightful king of Uruk. This sets a new chapter of their friendship. The two becomes friends, soul mates, and equals. The friendship makes them fight many battles that lead to the death of Enkidu later on. However, the friendship positively transformed Gilgamesh into being a perfect leader (Tablet iv p.15).

How the gods are portrayed in the epic

The gods appear to have much of their focus on the human affairs in that they have total control on the humans. In other words, they can hear the cries of the Uruk people and act. The gods are centered on human nature in the sense that just like humans are selfish and volatile, the gods too exist in this form. They have a strenuous relationship with each other in that each of the gods has his or her interest at heart. It is another form of a caricature of mortals since just like humans, they experience instability in their emotions as well as have a tumultuous relation with each other. Looking in the lens of their power, there exists a hierarchy, but this is not followed given the fact that the gods are focused on using their powers in causing harm to one another (Tablet vi p.23).

Actual historical changes reflected in the epic’s flood story

The flood in a historical context explains the changes in the physical features that occurred between 12,000 and 7000 B.C.E, where the period was marked by global warming that resulted from the melting of the ice age. These changes led to an increase in rainfall that caused ocean levels to rise to approximately 300 feet. The melting of the glaciers is reflected in the flood legends as the one in the Epic of Gilgamesh.  3000 years after the end of the ice age, a region like West Asia was distinguished by wet and dry areas around 4000 B.C.E as it is today. Following the same pattern, lower Iraq, specifically the part where Sumer existed.In 5000 B.C.E., heavy raised were reported to have occurred causing the rise in ocean levels pushing the Persian Gulf coastline to the far north of Baghdad. However, by the onset of 3500 B.C.E., the climate warmed up giving way to the expanding of a settlement land which marked the beginning of life for the Sumerians.

What was learned about the Sumerian society after reading the Epic of Gilgamesh

It is evident from the Epic that the Sumerian society has a strong belief in gods. The society is 2/3 gods and 1/3 mortal. For instance, Anu who is the father of all the gods, Aruru the goddess who made the other equal of Gilgamesh, Enkidu, Ishtar the goddess of love, the god of the sun Shamash and many more. However, a point to note is that the existence of all these gods does not make the Sumerian society a peaceful region but rather a troubled one. For one, the gods and the goddesses are anthropomorphic deities who are driven by hatred, jealousy, and love just like the mortals. According to the epic, the gods are the ones who created humans hence their central role is to control the entire creation even if it meant hurting the creatures in this creation.

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