The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known literary works, was discovered in the mid-19th century in the form of ancient clay tablets. The tablets, written in Akkadian, bear striking similarities to certain stories in the Hebrew Bible, most notably the Flood narrative.
Discovery
The Epic of Gilgamesh was first discovered in the ruins of the ancient library of Ashurbanipal in the Assyrian city of Nineveh (modern-day Mosul, Iraq) by the British archaeologist and diplomat Austen Henry Layard in 1849. The clay tablets were deciphered by the English Assyriologist George Smith in 1872.
Notable aspects
The most notable aspect of the Epic of Gilgamesh is its relation to the Bible, specifically the Genesis Flood narrative. The epic tells the story of a great flood sent by the gods to destroy humanity, similar to the story of Noah’s Ark in the Hebrew Bible. In the epic, a hero named Utnapishtim is instructed by the god Ea to build a great boat to save his family and various animals from the coming deluge. After the flood, Utnapishtim offers a sacrifice to the gods, who in turn grant him eternal life.
Some scholars suggest that the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Hebrew Bible share common origins or that the Bible borrowed certain elements from the older Mesopotamian story. Other parts of the epic, such as the story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu, have been compared to the biblical story of Adam and Eve.
Year of Creation
The Epic of Gilgamesh was likely composed in its current form around 1800 BCE during the Babylonian period, though earlier Sumerian versions of the story date back to around 2100 BCE. The story predates the writing of the Hebrew Bible by several centuries.
Relevant Quotations
In Tablet XI of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the flood narrative is recounted:
“Oh man of Shuruppak, son of Ubartutu,
Tear down your house and build a boat.
Abandon your wealth and seek out living beings,
Spurn possessions and keep alive living beings.
Make all living beings go up into the boat.
The boat which you are to build, its dimensions must measure equal to each other:
Its length must correspond to its width.
Roof it over like the Apsu.
I understood and spoke to my lord, Ea: “My lord, thus is the command which you have uttered.
I will heed and will do it.”
[From URUK-WARKA | https://uruk-warka.dk/Gilgamish/The%20Epic%20of%20Gilgamesh.pdf]
This passage parallels the instructions given to Noah in Genesis 6:14-22:
“Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”
Another passage from Tablet XI describes the end of the flood:
“I sent forth a dove and released it.
The dove went off, but came back to me;
no perch was visible, so it circled back to me.
I then sent forth a swallow and released it.
The swallow went off, but came back to me;
no perch was visible, so it circled back to me.
Finally, I sent forth a raven and released it.
The raven went off and saw the waters slither back.
It eats, it scratches, it bobs, but does not circle back to me.”[From URUK-WARKA | https://uruk-warka.dk/Gilgamish/The%20Epic%20of%20Gilgamesh.pdf]
This passage is similar to Genesis 8:8-14, where Noah releases birds to find dry land:
“And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.”