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/lit/ - Literature

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7901676 No.7901676 [Reply] [Original]

I'm beginning with the Mesopotamians, which is the best translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh

>> No.7902055

doesn't matter bro

it's not that interesting. reads like roughdraft/outline of an epic. it's only value is its historicity

most editions have a preface that's longer than the actual "epic"

>> No.7902353
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7902353

>>7902055
Ignore this guy, he has no sense of it's historiological imporance.

It's short which means you have no excuse not to read a few different versions and decide which you like best yourself.

You're unlikely to find an expert in Sumerian cueniform here, so our guess as to the "best" translation will likely be only as good as yours.

The Epic of Gilgamesh exists inside a complex reconstructed mythological framework, of which the epic is simply the uppermost tip of the iceberg.

The set of gods in that myth persisted across several ancient Middle Eastern cultures in one form or another, and they have different variants and roles depending on the time and place.

The story's themes of civilisation versus nature and the struggle against mortality are basically universal, and represent the most ancient examples of their archetype.