The Epic of Gilgamesh – Buy now!
This groundbreaking interpretation of the Epic of Gilgamesh presents a new vision of the oldest human myth: a story told both on earth and in the night sky. Through his new findings the author demonstrates how the constellations of stars we witness today were defined and venerated by the same Mesopotamian people who constructed the story of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, who ruled around 2900 BCE.
The book explains how the Gilgamesh myth is actually a record of Sumerian history from around 3100 to 1800 BCE when the last dynasty fell and Babylon rose to power. We are shown the extraordinary legacy of the Sumer people who not only gave us our understanding of the stars but also invented and developed writing systems, mathematics and our use of the twenty-four hour clock. It also explores Sumerian wisdom: what can
the Epic of Gilgamesh tell us about how to manage our environmental resources today?
Pages 228
Illustrations 71
CONTENTS
Preface
Introduction
BOOK 1: KING OF EARTH – THE RETELLING
Tablet 1 He who saw the deep
Tablet 2 Enkidu sat at the feet
Tablet 3 When Gilgamesh decided on his adventure
Tablet 4 At 20 leagues they broke their march
Tablet 5 Gilgamesh and Enkidu stared up at the huge pine trees
Tablet 6 Gilgamesh washed his filthy hair
Tablet 7 What are the great gods discussing?
Tablet 8 Gilgamesh knew that his friend was about to leave him
Tablet 9 As Gilgamesh roamed
Tablet 10 Siduri the ale-wife lived by the seashore
Tablet 11 Gilgamesh would not accept what he was hearing
Tablet 12 If only I had left my royal orb in the carpenter’s house
BOOK 2: GILGAMESH – KING OF EARTH AND SKY
Introduction
Episode 1 Gilgamesh dominates the skies
Episode 2 Arrival of Enkidu on the horizon
Episode 3 Enkidu, Hunter and Hierodule
Episode 4 Gilgamesh and Enkidu
Episode 5 Ninsun prays to the Gods
Episode 6 The Journey to the Cedar Forest
Episode 7 Humbaba the Monster
Episode 8 The Goddess Ishtar
Episode 9 The Bull of Heaven
Episode 10 Enkidu’s Dreams
Episode 11 Enkidu’s Death and Burial
Episode 12 The Scorpion People and Siduri the Ale wife
Episode 13 From Siduri the Ale wife to Ur-shanabi the Ferryman
Episode 14 The Journey to Ut-napishtim and His Wife
Episode 15 Meeting with Ut-napishtim and His Wife
Episode 16 The Story of the Flood
Episode 17 The Test of Immortality and the Plant of Life
Episode 18 The Snake at the Lake
Episode 19 The Return to Uruk
Episode 20 Gilgamesh Reunited with Enkidu and at Peace
Episode 21 Gilgamesh Dies
BOOK 3: GILGAMESH – HYPOTHESES, KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM
Prologue
Heaven and Earth – Reflections and Connections
Astronomy and Mathematics
Myth and History (Markers)
Messages
Summary
APPENDIX 1: A Star-Based Dramatis Personae
APPENDIX 2: The 48 Ptolemy Constellations and Gilgamesh
GLOSSARY: EARTH, GODS AND SKY BIBLIOGRAPHY
On the horizon after sunset
