Gilgamesh is a Babylonian epic, recorded in Akkadian on a number of ancient tablets. Gilgamesh is thought to have lived around 2,800 – 2,500 BCE[1], and most of the tablets, telling the standard version of the story, are thought to date from the seventh century BCE. Stephanie Dalley also gives an earlier version in her book, called the Old Babylonian Version, dating to around the early second millennium[2]. There are… Read more
Our Open House series of 2016 started with a visit from Jacqueline Vayntrub, who is NECL Post-Doctoral Fellow at Harvard, 2015–2016, as the visiting scholar. The discussion topic was The Epic of Gilgamesh, with the focus on ‘The Search for Everlasting Life’ (section 4 in the edition linked). Bitterly Gilgamesh wept for his friend Enkidu; he wandered over the wilderness as a hunter, he roamed over the plains; in his… Read more
I will proclaim to the world the deeds of Gilgamesh. This was the man to whom all things were known; this was the king who knew the countries of the world. He was wise, he saw mysteries and knew secret things, he brought us a tale of the days before the flood. He went on a long journey, was weary, worn-out with labor, returning he rested, he engraved on a… Read more
We are excited to share the upcoming Hour 25 Book Club selections. Look out for further announcements and forum threads nearer the time! November 17, 2015 at 11:00 a.m EST—Chapter 2 ‘Singers: Performance and Training’ and Chapter 5 ‘Songs and the Song’> of Singer of Tales by Albert B. Lord December 15, 2015 at 11:00 a.m EST—Book 1 and Book 2 of Aeneid by Virgil January 26, 2016 at 11:00… Read more