mesopotamia
cradle of civilization
cuneiform
ca 3500 BC oldest system of syllabic writing
sumerians
earliest civilization to settle in mesopotamia 6500-1940 BC; produced first Gilgamesh stories ca 2100 BC
uruk
capital city of Sumur. where gilgamesh was king 2900 BC
Akkadians
conequered sumerians from 2300-2100 BC
Babylonians
1900-500 BC; Took Gilgamesh stories and weaved them into one epic 1850 BC
Assyrians
not akkadians. 2400 BC-600 BC
Epic of Gilgamesh
oldest major work of literature composed by human beings
"Surpassing all other Kings"
first edited version of Gilgamesh ca 1850 BC
Sin-leqi-unninni
translates and modifies first version of Epic to Akkadian - he who saw the deep
"He Who Saw the Deep"
named after opening lines 1300-1250!!!!!
Lacuna
gaps or missing lines in the story of gilgamesh
temple maiden
vaguely defined term. surrogate for a god or goddess/way to sexually and spiritually commune with the goddes or god of temple. shown as character Shamhat
polytheism
worship of many gods. based on nature spirits
mesopotamian religion
polytheistic religion that precedes Judaism in the Middle East
Eanna
"downtown area" of Uruk. birthplace of urban culture
Anu
sky god, distant and aloof. king of the gods
enlil
god of land. most powerful of the gods. "the warrior"
ea
god of wisdom and magic. works with Aruru, resides in freshwater ocean under the world
ereshkigal
queen of the underworld
ishtar
goddess of love and warfare. symbol is lion
shamash
sun god. protector of travelers
sin
majestic son of Enlil. god of moon
Ninsun
Gilgamesh's mom, daughter of Anu. "Wild cow Ninsun"
Aruru
Mother goddess. made mankind with the help of Ea.
Shiduri
goddess of wine
Ninurta
god of hunting and war
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