About the Book
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Gilgamesh
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A new verse rendering of the great epic of ancient Mesopotamia, one of the oldest works in Western Literature. Ferry makes Gilgamesh available in the kind of energetic and readable translation that Robert Fitzgerald and Richard Lattimore have provided for readers in their translations of Homer and Virgil.
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How to Read 'Gilgamesh' (Beyond the Waters of Death)Acocella, Joan. “Beyond the Waters of Death.” New Yorker, vol. 95, no. 31, Oct. 2019, pp. 72–77.
Note: Select "Flipster" for PDF version of article with images.
David Ferry reads from Gilgamesh. Boston University, 2010.
Historical Context
Background articles
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Epic of GilgameshBritannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica, 6 May. 2020.
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Introduction to Ancient MesopotamiaSomervill, Barbara. Empires of Ancient Mesopotamia, Third Edition, Chelsea House, 2022. Ancient and Medieval History
Videos
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Ashurbanipal's Library and Gilgamesh (Kanopy)Here, discover the intellectual King Ashurbanipal whose library is one of the first in recorded history. In it, find clay tablets recording omens from the gods, as well as the world's oldest epic poem, The Epic of Gilgamesh.
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The World’s Oldest Myth: Gilgamesh (Kanopy)In looking at the epic of Gilgamesh, you’ll learn how this foundational Babylonian myth reflects real historical tensions between ancient Eastern city-states; tensions mirrored in the myth’s concerns with civilized—and untamed—human nature.