Transcript A Journey into Middle Eastern Literature

A Journey into
Middle Eastern Literature
Mesopotamia - “The land
between the rivers”
• Mesopotamia is the name given by the Greeks to
an ancient area of the Middle East now known
as modern-day Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria.
• This region is also known as the Fertile
Crescent, an agriculturally rich land watered by
the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Map of Ancient Mesopotamia
The Sumerians were the first
people to dominate this region,
settling here sometime between
5000 and 4000 BC.
The epic was so widely known that
scholars believe it served as an archetype,
or model, for hero myths around the world
• Greece, India, and Persia would later model characters
and adventures after those portrayed in Gilgamesh
• The epic reveals a great deal about the ancient
Mesopotamians’ sometimes pessimistic (negative)
views of existence
• But it also shows us the sensitivity and humanity of
these ancient peoples, who are not unlike us in their
joys, sorrows, and strivings
THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH
WHAT?
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Tale of the superhuman Sumerian king, Gilgamesh
Painful search for everlasting life
WHEN?
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Written over 4,000 years ago; considered the oldest known
piece of literature
Discovered in 1839 by archaeologists
WHERE?
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Ancient Mesopotamia (“Between two rivers” - Tigris and
the Euphrates) - current day Iraq
Versions are found all over the Middle East
HOW?
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Inscribed in clay, which made the text durable
12 tablets (1-11: Gilgamesh’s life; 12: Gilgamesh in the
nether world)
Many exact copies were made; accuracy was critical
THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH
Background Information
Gilgamesh
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May be a “true” story - a King Gilgamesh is found in the ancient Sumerian records
Two parts god, One part human  Supernatural power, Human weaknesses
Leader of the Sumerian people and builder of a great city
Suffers from excessive PRIDE (what the Greeks would later call “hubris”)
THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH
Background Information
Ancient Sumerian and Babylonian Beliefs
Although Sumerian and Babylonian civilizations were advanced for their time, the
people were powerless against ever-present threats of devastating floods, severe
droughts, and belligerent neighbors who sought “the good life” in the Tigris and
Euphrates valley.
The religious beliefs of the Sumerian and Babylonian people were, therefore, pessimistic.
They worshipped a pantheon, or family, of unpredictable gods and goddesses who could
bring about misfortune as well as favor. Regardless of one’s status or how one lived
one’s life, there was no joyful afterlife to which to look forward.
Such beliefs are present in The Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh, in spite of his great
powers, suffers a life-changing loss when Enkidu dies. When the person closest to him
dies, the proud Gilgamesh must come to terms with the reality that he, too, will not live
forever. And because, in the Sumerian view, death offers only emptiness, Gilgamesh
rebels against it, and sets off on a quest to attain immortality.
THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH
SIGNIFICANCE
Why is Gilgamesh’s story important to us?
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CONCEPTS
Quest for Knowledge and Truth
Friendship
Life and Death
Birth and Renewal (The Flood)
Man V. Fate
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LITERARY SIGNIFICANCE
EPIC
Definition: a long narrative that recounts the deeds of a larger-than-life hero who
embodies the values of a particular society
EPIC HERO
Definition: Superior human beings with supernatural strength or spiritual powers;
usually mighty leaders of their people; of mixed divine and human
birth, so we admire their greatness but sympathize with their failings
Gilgamesh is the earliest known epic hero
Archetype for future epic heroes, including Homer’s Odysseus
THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH
Cuneiform
Though the tales of Gilgamesh were originally shared
through oral communication, the epic was eventually
written down using cuneiform.
• first form of writing ever developed
• consisted of wedge-shaped characters that were created
using a reed stylus
• characters could represent either words or sounds and were
usually carved into clay that was later baked
Eygpt
• It is in this early civilization that one of the first
forms of writing began. It is called hieroglyphics.
This type of ancient Egyptian writing was in
picture form. Each picture denotes a word or idea
rather than just expressing the sound. There are
over seven hundred hieroglyphics, and they rarely
used vowels, although they were spoken. In
English words are often abbreviated by leaving
out the vowels as well - bldg = building, ltd =
limited and cm = centimeter.
• One of the major contributions the
Egyptians gave to civilization is the
invention of paper, made from papyrus
reeds.
• Papyrus is a plant that grows on the banks
of the Nile River in Egypt. (Kind of like we
know as a broadleaf cattail.) Papyrus, can
grow up to 15 feet high.
• Egyptians used paper made from papyrus
for 4000 years until other plants and trees
were used to make paper for economical
reasons. Paper made from papyrus is still
made, but normally only as a tourist
attraction.
Myths and Legends
• The great goddess of ancient Egypt was
Isis, and her husband was Osiris. The hero
of this ancient Egyptian myth is a model of
love, faithfulness, and above all,
persistence.
• The Egyptian Gods were the basis for many
gods that follow – Horus for example, was
born of virgin birth.
Hebrew
• The most important example of Hebrew literature
is the Jewish Bible. (Christians refer to this as the
Old Testament).
• The word Bible came from the Greek word biblia,
meaning a collection of writings.
• The Hebrew Bible can be divided into three main
sections: the Torah (“law,” the first five books),
historical accounts and narratives (Books of
Samuel, Saul, David, Solomon), and a variety of
genres including poetry (Psalms), short stories
(Book of Ruth), and dialogue (Book of Job).