The Epic of Gilgamesh, from the time it was rediscovered and reconstructed in the late
nineteenth century, has created a sense of controversy and curiosity among historians of the ancient
near east. A huge reason for the excitement was the incorporations of other stories and the
evidence of the flood story from Genesis. With this, the Epic creates a parallel to the bible and the
society of Mesopotamia nearly 4,000 years ago. Gilgamesh is known to be the first great hero, and
the epic is known as the ‘first great masterpiece of world literature’. With this story we can learn a
lot about Mesopotamian culture and their religion, but what exactly? Throughout their culture, we
find many examples of similar instances that continue for years to come. Some of these instances
are the idea of a strong male leader and a council of city elders, but also the gender division, which
is important throughout their religion too. There seems to be a concern with the rights of the
citizens, as Gilgamesh is expected to be a just ruler, and being a ruler with outrage over his abuses
actually leads to the creation of Enkidu in the story.
