Epic of Gilgamesh: myths and heroes in ancient Mesopotamia .... on the wireless

Now this is one I enjoyed today.

Hero mastering a lion, 8th century BC

It comes from the Radio 4 BBC series, You're Dead to Me*

"Greg Jenner is joined in the ancient world by Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid and comedian Marjolein Robertson to learn all about the famous Mesopotamian poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh. Sumerian poems about a legendary king called Gilgamesh began to be composed sometime in the third millennium, and were told and retold throughout Mesopotamia until a Babylonian scholar named Sîn-leqi-unninni wrote down what has become the standard version. 

The tale he recorded tells of a tyrannical king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, and the transformative journey he takes with his enemy-turned-friend (and possibly more), Enkidu. In the 3100 lines of the poem, they fight forest guardians and celestial bulls, anger the gods, and even challenge death itself. In this episode, we retell the story of Gilgamesh, exploring the history of the epic’s composition, what it tells us about ancient Mesopotamian storytelling and beliefs, and how it was rediscovered in the nineteenth century, written in cuneiform on clay tablets housed in the Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh. 

We also look at the themes of companionship, community and environmental protection that are still relevant today, and ask the question: is Gilgamesh just a legend, or was he based on a real king?

If you’re a fan of captivating myths and legends from the ancient world, heroic kings and impossible quests, and historians decoding ancient texts, you’ll love our episode on the Epic of Gilgamesh.

If you want more ancient history with Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid, listen to our episodes on the Babylonians and Cuneiform. And for more from Marjolein Robertson, check out our episode on Robert Bruce.

You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.

Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet 11: Story of the Flood

Hosted by: Greg Jenner

Research by: Katharine Russell

Written by: Katharine Russell, Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner

Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner

Audio Producer: Steve Hankey

Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett

Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse

Executive Editor: Philip Sellars"

Picture; Hero mastering a lion, 8th century BC, palace of the Assyrian king Sargon II in Dur-Sharrukin, current Khorsabad in Iraq at the Louvre Museum, photo by Urban, This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. and Neo-Assyrian clay tablet. Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet 11: Story of the Flood. Known as the "Flood Tablet" From the Library of Ashurbanipal, 7th century BC.Author of picture, BabelStone (Own work)This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

*Epic of Gilgamesh: myths and heroes in ancient Mesopotamia, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002rd8y,