Table of Contents

Introduction: the history of the epic; the discovery of the tablets; the historical background; the literary background; the hero of the epic; the principal gods of the epic; the story; survival; the diction of the epic; remarks on this version. "The Epic of Gilgamesh": Gilgamesh King in Uruk; the coming of Enkidu; the forest journey; Ishtar and Gilgamesh, and the death of Enkidu; the search for everlasting life; the story of the flood; the return; the death of Gilgamesh.

About the Author

N K Sandars has worked extensively in the fields of archaeology and prehistory and is a fellow of the British Academy. Her book of poems, Grandmother's Steps & Other Poems, was published in 2000.

Reviews

"The work of synthesis has been accomplished, and with a remarkable degree of tact and imagination."
--Times Literary Supplement