The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest surviving story in human history. Written in ancient Mesopotamia more than four thousand years ago, it tells of a tyrannical king of the city of Uruk, and the wild man Enkidu who was created to bring him to his knees. What followed was a friendship that would take both men to the very ends of the earth, in search of the one thing no king can ever claim: eternal life.
It predates Homer by more than a thousand years, and it was already ancient when the earliest books of the Bible were being written. It also contains the earliest known account of a great flood, a story that would later find its echo in the tale of Noah. Lost for two thousand years beneath the sands of Mesopotamia, the epic was recovered by chance in the nineteenth century among the ruins of the Assyrian city of Nineveh, preserved on twelve clay tablets in the wreckage of a burned library.
In this video, we tell the entire story of the Epic of Gilgamesh from beginning to end. The tyranny of a king who worked his own people to death. The creation of Enkidu from clay and sent to humble him. The friendship that changed both men forever. The journey through mountains no mortal had ever crossed. And the desperate quest for a life beyond death itself.
For easy navigation of this 2-hour Epic of Gilgamesh Documentary, click the timestamps below to jump to the moments you want to hear most!
🔍 Episode Chapters & Timestamps:
00:00 | Introduction
00:31 | The Epic of Gilgamesh
02:22 | Prologue: Finding the Oldest Story Ever Written
08:56 | Part 1: The King of Uruk
18:11 | Part 2: Gilgamesh and Enkidu
28:56 | Part 3: The Cedar Forest
42:06 | Part 4: Ishtar and the Bull of Heaven
51:31 | Part 5: The Death of Enkidu
1:04:15 | Part 6: The Edge of the World
1:21:04 | Part 7: The Flood
1:36:01 | Part 8: The Return
📚 Sources:
The Epic of Gilgamesh - translated by Andrew George (2002)
The Epic of Gilgamesh, Lecture by Andrew George
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd7MrGy_tEg&t=1433s
Austen Henry Layard - Nineveh And Its Remains Vol. I (1849)
Austen Henry Layard - Nineveh And Its Remains Vol. II (1849)
Austen Henry Layard - Second Series Of The Monuments Of Nineveh (1853)
Austen Henry Layard - Discoveries in the ruins of Nineveh and Babylon (1853)
E. A. Wallis Budge - The Rise and Progress of Assyriology (1925)
🎙️ About the Podcast & Host
Deep Dive History is a premium documentary and podcast series, exploring the stories, myths and lives that shaped civilisation. Hosted by the acclaimed British actor and narrator, David Rintoul (known for Pride and Prejudice, Game of Thrones and countless award-winning audiobooks), your journey into the past is guided by one of the finest voices in audio.
#gilgamesh #mesopotamia #ancienthistory 
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