The Epic Of Gilgamesh Analysis

Cole and Ortega’s The Thinking Past is a book that covers the history of humans and civilization. Within the book the authors cover the transition of humans from a hunter-gatherer life into a more sedentary life: forming the civilizations we know today. This transition can be witnessed through the character of Enkidu’s in The Epic of Gilgamesh. Enkidu—a glorified forager—is forced into civilization, we watch him transform from a wild beast into a civilized person. As we follow Enkidu’s transformation, we see how he changes for the better, but he also loses certain capabilities. The transition was not smooth, it took time to fully adjust, and although there are many disadvantages of leaving the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, the benefits make it

By settling down and remaining in one spot for extended periods of time, those who once had to scavenge for food, could grow enough for them and dozens of others to survive. Even if the hunter-gatherers were able to feed themselves, agriculture allowed them to thrive. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu had been able to survive on his own, but being introduced to beer, bread, and other foods he had previously never been exposed to, allowed him to stop expending so much energy on finding food. With civilization also came clothing and shelter, eliminating the need for Enkidu to battle with nature. With constant access to food, clothing, and shelter, Enkidu no longer had to deal with the majority of his problems, making life

Typically when one person stops doing their job, another person is unable to do theirs, and then another and another, until the whole community is unable to function. As Enkidu joined civilization, he sacrificed his self-reliance, meaning his sense of reliability on the community is more of a dependability. Which is a risk because he is now depending on a community he has just joined. He is already weaker than he was before and has gotten used to things being done for him, so it is improbable that he would be able to live on his own. So if people stopped doing their part in the community Enkidu would either have to learn to survive on his own again, find a new community, or die. In this sense, Enkidu is much like a wild animal, they are not supposed to be domesticated because if released, it is likely that they’ll die. Domesticated animals come to rely on the food given to them, just as Enkidu came to depend on the food and other essentials to