The Epic of Gilgamesh has long been considered the world’s oldest surviving literary masterpiece, leaving its rich history to encompass some of the earliest cultures and societies. The epic unfolds circa 2700 B.C.E. in the ancient region of Sumer, which stretched from Southern Baghdad to the Persian Gulf (Sommer and Loy). Sumer was a fragment of the region known as “Mesopotamia,” meaning “between two rivers” (the Tigris and Euphrates), and was home to one of first civilizations of the world (Sommer and Loy). During the third millennium B.C.E., cities in this region were ruled by hereditary kings – one of such, was King Gilgamesh (Boucquey). Gilgamesh ruled over the city of Uruk, situated in Southern Sumer to the east of the Euphrates River (Boucquey). The entire region of Mesopotamia featured a harsh, capricious climate, wrought by flooding and droughts, however, the fertile soil of the river valley allowed for the cultivation of crops and the establishment of intricate cities (Sommer and Loy). Irrigation of the valley began in the sixth millennium B.C.E., and …show more content…
and for thousands of years was home to hunters and farmers (“Uruk”). By 3200 B.C.E., however, it had grown into the largest known settlement in the world, dominating the nearby regions of Mesopotamia both politically and economically (“Uruk: The First City”) As in other Sumerian cities, worship and service to deities played a prevailing role in the daily life of Uruk residents. Uruk’s religious life was mainly concentrated in the temple complex on Innana, the goddess of love and war, and the temple complex of Anu, the god of the sky, however other sanctuaries have also been discovered (“Uruk”). Uruk continued expanding into the third millennium B.C.E., and city rulers began to grow in importance and power (“Uruk: The First City”). It was during this time that Gilgamesh, the protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh, acquired his