Empires & Humanity Discussion
Hello Class!
Let us examine Gilgamesh and the relationship between people & empires.
- Re-read the explanation you wrote prior to reading the Parsons text. Has your idea of what defines an empire changed? Why has it or why has it not? Do you believe that empires always fail? Explain.
- What ‘fate’ did Gilgamesh have to accept?
- Do you believe this epic was created to ease the anxiety of this ‘fate’?
- Why do you believe the Mesopotamian Empire mythologized Gilgamesh? What issue of the individual in a society does this epic present?
Reading:
Epic of Gilgamesh
*An epic is a long, often book-length, narrative in verse form that retells the heroic journey of a single person or a group of persons. Elements that typically distinguish epics include superhuman deeds, fabulous adventures, highly stylized language, and a blending of lyrical and dramatic traditions.
The most famous of the Mesopotamian heroes is Gilgamesh. The mythologizing of this early dynastic Sumerian king of Unug (Uruk) had already begun by about 2400 BCE. This was written ~1500 years before Homer wrote the Illiad.
As you read,
- Consider the reign of Gilgamesh and the perspective of the society he reigned over
- Consider Gilgamesh the individual, not the king
- Consider what you just reviewed about Ancient Mesopotamia and the zeitgeist (beliefs of the time)
Example 1
1. After reading the Empires text I would say that my definition on empires has definitely changed. For what I viewed an empire as I wrote, “a time period in which a kingdom ruled before being overtaken by a neighboring kingdom.” I feel like my definition focused too much on what I’ve learned about empires/dynasties in the past and didn’t consider that the characteristics have changed as time passed. I do believe that empires will always be destined to fail. As new generations are born, views and beliefs on what society should look like change with them.
2. The fate that Gilgamesh had to accept that he was in fact not immortal and that eventually he would die too.
3. I believe that the epic was made so that Gilgamesh would not be scared of death, but instead to accept it. The epic mentions that only gods are destined to live forever and since Gilgamesh is party human he too will have to serve the same fate and die eventually.
4. I think the Mesopotamian Empire mythologized Gilgamesh to remind him that even though he is a great king for his strength and resilience, he will still die in the end but his legacy will forever be remembered. I think it could also represent the people of Uruk who also were scared of death by showing them that death is inevitable for everyone so it’s best to embrace it and not fear it.
Example 2
1. I believe that empires will always fall. Empires are places that are made to expand but eventually expansion becomes so much that it collapses. This is what I have thought and still think because this has happened to all empires in history.
2. Gilgamesh had to accept the fate of having seen everything and then be too tired to appreciate it.
3. I think this epic was created to ease the anxiety of fate because it shows that everything comes no matter what.
4. They believed because it spoke of places and him talking to the Gods. The issue of the individual in a society is presented by the people talking to Gilgamesh
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