The epic about Gilgamesh

“The epic about Gilgamesh” is the oldest work of art known to humanity. When the Sumerian poets began to fill the first clay tablets in the XVIII century BC, telling about the exploits of the ruler of the city of Uruk, there was not a single European state, and in the ancient East barely disdained the dawn of civilization. All the more interesting to modern readers, the main characters of the epic are the demigod Gilgamesh and his opponent friend Enkidu. Their feelings and actions are close and understandable to us. Introduction to high culture, sorrow after the death of a friend, the desire for immortality - these main topics of the ancient epic can be called eternal. Since the “epic about Gilgamesh” was opened, and this happened only in the 19th century, scientists and poets do not stop turning to the ancient text, trying to penetrate its secrets and convey the beauty of the poetic form. This edition is unique in its own way: the translation presented in it reflects the finds and discoveries made in connection with the study of the “epic about Gilgamesh” in recent times.