Epic of Gilgamesh (Radio Edit)
6/12/202628 min
Greg Jenner is joined in the ancient world by Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid and comedian Marjolein Robertson to learn all about the famous Mesopotamian poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Sumerian poems about a legendary king called Gilgamesh began to be composed sometime in the third millennium, and were told and retold throughout Mesopotamia until a Babylonian scholar named Sîn-leqi-unninni wrote down what has become the standard version. The tale he recorded tells of a tyrannical king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, and the transformative journey he takes with his enemy-turned-friend (and possibly more), Enkidu. In the 3100 lines of the poem, they fight forest guardians and celestial bulls, anger the gods, and even challenge death itself.
In this episode, we retell the story of Gilgamesh, exploring the history of the epic’s composition, what it tells us about ancient Mesopotamian storytelling and beliefs, and how it was rediscovered in the nineteenth century, written in cuneiform on clay tablets housed in the Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh. We also look at the themes of companionship, community and environmental protection that are still relevant today, and ask the question: is Gilgamesh just a legend, or was he based on a real king?
This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.
Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Katharine Russell Written by: Katharine Russell, Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars
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First 90 secondsGreg Jenner· Host0:00
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Greg Jenner· Host0:36
[Instrumental music] Hello, and welcome to You're Dead to Me, the Radio 4 comedy podcast that takes history seriously. My name's Greg Jenner. I'm a public historian, author, and broadcaster. And today, we are grabbing our bestie and gallivanting back to ancient Mesopotamia to learn all about the Epic of Gilgamesh. And to help us on this daunting quest, we have two very special guides. In history corner, she's an honorary fellow at Wolfson College, University of Oxford, where she researches and teaches on the history of Mesopotamia, cuneiform, and the Akkadian language. You might have read her wonderful recent book, Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History. It is glorious. And you'll remember her from our episodes on the ancient Babylonians and cuneiform. It's Dr. Moody Al-Rashid. Welcome, Moody.
Moudhy Al-Rashid· Guest1:20
Thank you. Thanks for having me. It's awesome to be back.
Greg Jenner· Host1:22
We love having you back. And in comedy corner, she's an award-winning comedian, actor, and storyteller. You might have seen her sellout Edinburgh Fringe show, or