COM 001 MIDTERM

When was Epic of Gilgamesh rediscovered

1872

How many languages has it been translated into

24

When was the epic composed

11th Century

Who is the poet and who is it inspired by

Poet is Rainer Maria Rilke inspired by Arthur Ungnad’s translation in 1916

das Epos der Todesfurcht

the epic about the fear of death

What type of complete literature is Gilgamesh

Greco-Roman antiquity fragmented because it survives down to clay tablets

clay

as raw material its extremely fragile and easy to shatter

manuscript

more durable than papyri scrolls since scrolls can rot and disintegrate

What two languages are important to Gilgamesh

Sumerian and Akkadian

How was this story circulated

Oral circulation

Why is the Epic of Gilgamesh so fragmented

It survives on fragile clay tablets that can shatter

What writing system was used for Gilgamesh

Cuneiform, invented in mesopotamia around 3000 BC

Why is Cuneiform sometimes described as a 3D script

Its wedge shaped impressions became visible through light and shadow

What does the use of Sumerian and Akkadian divine name suggest

Oral transmission and the blending of religious traditions

What is syncretism

The combination of different religious system or traditions

Why is Gilgamesh’s cultural identity complicated?

It combines Sumerian and Babylonian traditions about a Sumerian king

What happened to Sumerian around 2000 BC

It declined as a spoken language but remained in religious and ritual use, like Latin

What are two major varieties of Akkadian, and which was used for Gilgamesh

Babylonian and Assyrian. The Akkadian epic is in Babylonian

What genre is Gilgamesh?

Epic Poem

What does Greek word “epos” mean

Word, story or poem

Where was the story of Gilagamesh told

Throughout the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia

What does mesopotamia mean

Land between the rivers

Which two rivers define mesopotamia

Tigris and Euphrates rivers

What modern day country is mesopotamia

Modern day Iraq

Who was Gilgamesh

A legendary king of Uruk

What city is Gilgamesh story partly set in

Uruk

Where are the ruins of Uruk located today

Southeastern Iraq

What 4 cities are mentioned in Genesis 10:10

Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh

What land contains the cities listed in Genesis 10:10

The land of Shinar

When and where did Sumerian Civilization arise

Around 3000 BCE in Mesopotamia, over 5000 years ago

Why is Sumerian considered a language isolate

It has no demonstrated relationship to any known family

2 major language families surrounding Sumerian

Semitic and Indo-European

2 Semitic languages

Akkadian and Hebrew

Ex of Indo European languages

Sanskrit, Persian, Greek, Latin, English

Which Indo European branch English Belongs to

Germanic Branch

Why do we know many Sumerian myths through other languages

Many surviving accounts were preserved in languages other than Sumerian

What does Gilgamesh’s setting reveal about the story

Although Gilgamesh is legendary, the story is partly set in a real city: Uruk

Where does Epic of Gilgamesh set

The ancient Mesopotamian city-state of Uruk

Who brought many Mesopotamian city states under one rule

King Sargon of Akkad

What did King Sargon do Politically

He conquered and unified many previously independent city states

Why did city states strive to preserve their identities

To maintain their traditions and remain central to their own worldview

Anu

Heaven, the god of the sky, father of the gods

Anunnaki

gods (earth gods)

Belet-ili (Aruru)

mother goddess, midwife of the gods, womb goddess

Ellil (Enlil)

God of wind and storm

Ea (Enki)

god of the waters, god of wisdom

Ereshkigal

goddess of the underworld

Gilgamesh

son of Lugalbanda and the goddess Ninsun, king of Uruk

Anunnaki

gods (heavenly gods)

Humbaba

monster guardian of the cedar forest

Ishtar

goddess of love, fertility, and battle

Lugalbanda

a warrior and king, father of Gilgamesh

Namtar

the "cutter of Fate", the messenger of Ereshkigal

Nergal

"prowls by night", the god of the underworld, god of war and plague

Ninsun

the "great wild cow", the queen, the mother of Gilgamesh

Shamash

the sun god, a lawgiver

Shiduri

the "barmaid", a manifestation of Ishtar, veiled

Ut-napishtim

favored of the gods, survived the flood

katabasis

descent/journey to the underworld

monomyth

the hero's journey – a storytelling telling type that involves a hero who goes on an adventure and returns home having learned something or is transformed

Deluge

a severe flood

What human characteristics do literary animals share

Age, mortality, pride, anger, grief, pain, fear, restraint, vulnerability, and civility

What do lions and aurochs commonly symbolize

Bravery and virility

How were animals treated as objects in Mesopotamia

Bought, sold, or destroyed, they also brought wealth, prestige and status

What religious benefits were attributed to animals

Protection and healing

What does the pure gazelle fawn in the Akkadian prayer symbolize

Untouched, innocent nature nurtured by the wild, without human contact

How do Sumerian fables differ from greek and roman fables

They often lack an explicit moral and celebrate wit over physical strength

How were Sumerian fables used in Old Babylonian schools

to teach sumerian in the first half of the second millennium BCE

What is debate poetry (adamin)

two rivals boast and criticize each other. a god or king ultimately judges

What do positive and negative animal comparisons suggest P

Positive: strength, sexual vigor, violence Negative: weakness, as with sheep or flies

How does the wild care for the fawn in the prayer

The wild raises it like a father and the pasture like a mother

What cultural tradition do fables and proverbs belong to

Oral folklore and popular culture, rather than elite or high literature

What is the typical structure of a Sumerian animal fable

at least two animal characters interact, often through conflict or competition

What type of animal often wins in Sumerian fables

The weaker animal, through cleverness or wit

3 examples of debate poetry opponents

fish vs bird, winter vs summer, and how vs plough

what does adamin literally mean

A-da=contest or debate; min=two

When do the earliest surviving debate poems date from

The second millennium BCE

What survives of Akkadian debate poetry

Only small fragments, although the tradition existed in Akkadian

4 canonical Gospels

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

What does the Greek word euangelion mean

Good News, the source of the word Gospel

Which Gospel was likely written first, and when

Mark, around the Roman Judean War (66-70 CE)

What distinguishes the Gospel of mark

Jesus as healer, exorcist, and wonder worker

Infancy Gospel of Thomas

Apocryphal collection of popular legends about Jesus’s childhood

Genre of The Acts of Paul and Thecla

apocryphal Christian novella, associated with second century Christian literature

What is a martyr and what does venatio mean

Martyr: witness who suffers for belief. Venatio: public hunting or combat involving wild animals

Was Christianity fully institutinalized when the Gospels were written

No, it wasn’t developed into its later institutional form yet.