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How to Read “Gilgamesh” (2019)

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Re: How to Read “Gilgamesh” (2019)

#11

Post by shantnutiwari »

I read Stephen Mitchell's translation, which isnt the most academic but certainly the most readable. It was the 1st time I actually finished the book.

My only problem is: It looks like parts of the story are missing. Certainly, the ending is very downer. Spoilers: Gilamesh fails to save his friend, loses the immortality herbs, and comes home empty handed and humiliated.

Certainly, one of the lessons is that Gilgamesh learns humility and respect for others; but I wonder if there are further chapters that were never found. For the story certainly looks incomplete.

Re: How to Read “Gilgamesh” (2019)

#12

Post by retrac »

showerst wrote: post #5
retrac wrote: post #3

How appropriate! I have recently (4 months?) started studying Akkadian. Just an intellectual curiosity. I don't really expect to get far. But it has been fascinating. Let me tell you the factoid that got me started down this road: More writings survive in Akkadian than from the classical Latin world. The entire output in Latin from c. 400 BC - 300 AD pales in comparison to what we've dug up out of burned royal librar…

I wonder if many of these more transactional tablets would be amenable to automated transcription/translation. I imagine that names would be rough, but lists of goods and prices seem manageable. I've dabbled a little in Akkadian languages but gave up because the time commitment seemed too massive.

Yes, I imagine it would be. I suspect a lot of insights can be made from extensive digitization of the materials. Statistical studies of records over time. Finding what fragments may fit with others.

See https://github.com/gaigutherz/Akkademia which is a deep-learning based approach to OCR and word segmentation in Akkadian. Early days. I wish I knew enough ML (or Akkadian) to contribute.

Re: How to Read “Gilgamesh” (2019)

#13

Post by violiner »

retrac wrote: post #3

How appropriate! I have recently (4 months?) started studying Akkadian. Just an intellectual curiosity. I don't really expect to get far. But it has been fascinating. Let me tell you the factoid that got me started down this road: More writings survive in Akkadian than from the classical Latin world. The entire output in Latin from c. 400 BC - 300 AD pales in comparison to what we've dug up out of burned royal librar…

What are you using to study Akkadian?

Re: How to Read “Gilgamesh” (2019)

#14

Post by handrous »

shantnutiwari wrote: post #11

I read Stephen Mitchell's translation, which isnt the most academic but certainly the most readable. It was the 1st time I actually finished the book. My only problem is: It looks like parts of the story are missing. Certainly, the ending is very downer. Spoilers: Gilamesh fails to save his friend, loses the immortality herbs, and comes home empty handed and humiliated. Certainly, one of the lessons is that Gilgamesh…

The ending feels complete, and ever-relevant, to me.

I think of it every time rich people freezing their heads or getting blood transfusions from kids or talking about brain-to-computer transfers comes up, which is pretty often on this site.

Re: How to Read “Gilgamesh” (2019)

#15

Post by emodendroket »

handrous wrote: post #8

I'm not an expert but I've probably read a whole lot more Near East literature than, considered over a population of billions, nearly everyone. In English translation, but still. A half dozen volumes, I think, cover to cover? Maybe seven? Gilgamesh is the only work out of all of that, that I'd recommend to pretty much anyone who likes literature. Egypt has a couple promising, if relatively late, tales, but both are o…

The Ramayana sounded like fun though it's hard to figure out which version you're supposed to read.

Re: How to Read “Gilgamesh” (2019)

#16

Post by wl »

violiner wrote: post #13
retrac wrote: post #3

How appropriate! I have recently (4 months?) started studying Akkadian. Just an intellectual curiosity. I don't really expect to get far. But it has been fascinating. Let me tell you the factoid that got me started down this road: More writings survive in Akkadian than from the classical Latin world. The entire output in Latin from c. 400 BC - 300 AD pales in comparison to what we've dug up out of burned royal librar…

What are you using to study Akkadian?

A Grammar of Akkadian by John Huehnergard seems to be the standard text. It's the one I used.

Re: How to Read “Gilgamesh” (2019)

#17

Post by soco »

handrous wrote: post #8

I'm not an expert but I've probably read a whole lot more Near East literature than, considered over a population of billions, nearly everyone. In English translation, but still. A half dozen volumes, I think, cover to cover? Maybe seven? Gilgamesh is the only work out of all of that, that I'd recommend to pretty much anyone who likes literature. Egypt has a couple promising, if relatively late, tales, but both are o…

It depends a lot on the translation I suppose, because my experience with the old testament was rather unpleasant - reading it in centuries-old language brought me no joy at all.

Re: How to Read “Gilgamesh” (2019)

#18

Post by handrous »

emodendroket wrote: post #15
handrous wrote: post #8

I'm not an expert but I've probably read a whole lot more Near East literature than, considered over a population of billions, nearly everyone. In English translation, but still. A half dozen volumes, I think, cover to cover? Maybe seven? Gilgamesh is the only work out of all of that, that I'd recommend to pretty much anyone who likes literature. Egypt has a couple promising, if relatively late, tales, but both are o…

The Ramayana sounded like fun though it's hard to figure out which version you're supposed to read.

Yeah, that's why I specified "Near East". I know there's supposed to be some really good, very early material from India, but I've not gotten to it yet, so I can't say whether Gilgamesh stands up to the best of that. There is, for sure, an intimidating amount of it, so it has that going for it.

Re: How to Read “Gilgamesh” (2019)

#19

Post by AlwaysRock »

I had a class in college that focused in large part on Gilgamesh. It was one of the few classes I enjoyed in college. I loved that my very religious teacher said the flood story in Gilgamesh added to the validity of the Bible since it is another historical account of a large flood. I thought it did the opposite and showed that the Bible is just another book of myths with some historical events peppered in, like Gilgamesh.

She didnt love that.

Re: How to Read “Gilgamesh” (2019)

#20

Post by AlanYx »

shantnutiwari wrote: post #11

I read Stephen Mitchell's translation, which isnt the most academic but certainly the most readable. It was the 1st time I actually finished the book. My only problem is: It looks like parts of the story are missing. Certainly, the ending is very downer. Spoilers: Gilamesh fails to save his friend, loses the immortality herbs, and comes home empty handed and humiliated. Certainly, one of the lessons is that Gilgamesh…

I find the ending a poignant, even beautiful, testament to the universality of the human condition. Even kings struggle with having to deal with loss and mortality, and it has always been thus, an unbroken thread through the thousands of years that connect us with those who originally developed the text.

I also love the restaurant at the end of the universe element to the text. Without giving anything away to those who haven't read it, one can travel to the edge of the world and find someone serving beer.

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