Gilgamesh: Why Its Discovery Shook Christian Europe #gilgamesh #ancient #ancientliterature #history

A civilizational question! A Biblical question!

Since its discovery in 1854 and translation in 1872, much ink has been spilled about Gilgamesh. In this interview, we unravel Gilgamesh from new and different angles:
▶️Did Greeks predicate their epics on Middle East sources?
▶️Did the Bible copy Babylonian stories?
▶️Are kingship and heroism inherently conflicted?
▶️Why was Gilgamesh taught in Mesopotamians schools for 3,000 years?
▶️Why was this story so important to ancient Mesopotamians - including scribes, bureaucrats?
▶️What internal tensions propelled Gilgamesh on his epic adventures?
▶️Was the Gilgamesh epic based on a real person or was it all mythology?
▶️Why did rediscovery of the Epic of Gilgamesh cause an uproar in 19th century Christian Europe?
▶️Did the Epic of Gilgamesh influence the Iliad, the Odyssey and other Greek epics?
▶️What are my guest scholar's unique contributions to ancient Mesopotamian literature?
▶️What are Gilgamesh's lessons for our modern times?

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The goal of Scholars Unravel Middle East is to correct our misperceptions and misconceptions about this fascinating region with its long and remarkable history. To do that, we go to the source - scholars who distill their decades of research into an hour conversation with Adel Aali, host & producer.
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🚩About Our Guest:
Dr. Sophus Helle is a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University. He has won many awards for his scholarship and is a prolific writer on diverse subjects, with a passion for taking seemingly obscure topics and making them relevant to non-academic audiences, including his two books about ancient Mesopotamian literary works: "Gilgamesh" and "Enheduana".
►Visit his homepage for more information: sophushelle.com/

►Listen to Dr. Helle at S1E42:
🎧Apple: bit.ly/HbN-Podcast-Spotify
🎧Spotify: bit.ly/HbN-Podcast-Apple

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⏩Other interviews about Ancient Mesopotamia mentioned in this video:
1) Women's roles & rights:    • Ancient Middle East: Women's Roles & Right...  
2) Balance of powers:    • Life Stories of Middle Easterners Describe...  
3) From 'gods' to God:    • Polytheism vs Monotheism & How Polytheism ...  

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YouTube:    / @scholarsunravelmiddleeast  

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֎This interview is about the Epic of Gilgamesh - the intense issues it raises in its ancient times (e.g., immortality, kingship, heroism, sex and gods), and the explosive issues it highlights in modern times (e.g., sources of Greek and Biblical stories).
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