The Epic of Gilgamesh
N. K. Sandars
Paperback
(Penguin Books, March 15, 1985)
The Epics of Gilgamesh, which dates from the third millenium BC, is one of the finest surviving epic poems in world literature. Miraculously preserved on clay tablets deciphered only in the last century, the cycle of poems collected around the character of Gilgamesh, the great king of Uruk, tells of his encounters with monsters and gods and of his friendship with Enkidu, the wild man from the hills. Also included in the epic is a legend of the Flood, which agrees with many details in the biblical story of Noah. As a mixture of pure adventure, morality and tragedy, the story of Gilgamesh and his futile search for immortality transcends the barriers of time, for it revolves around fundamental forces and human problems common throughout the centuries. 1985 English Version with an Introduction by N.K. Sandars. The cover shows a detail from the Seal of Gilgamesh, Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin.