Gilgamesh

According to the Sumerian king list, Gilgamesh was the fifth king of Uruk (Early Dynastic II, first dynasty of Uruk), the son of Lugalbanda. Legend has it that his mother was Ninsun, a goddess.

Related Topics:
Sumerian king list - Uruk - Lugalbanda - Ninsun

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He was succeeded by his son Ur-Nungal, said to have ruled for 30 years. He built a temple to Ninlil in Nippur, and possibly the walls of Uruk.

Related Topics:
Ur-Nungal - Ninlil - Nippur

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Despite the lack of direct evidence, most scholars do not object to consideration of Gilgamesh as a historical figure, particularly after inscriptions were found confirming the historical existence of other figures associated with him: kings Enmebaragesi and Aga of Kish. If Gilgamesh was a historical king, he probably reigned in about the 26th century BC. Some of the earliest Sumerian texts spell his name as Bilgamesh.

Related Topics:
Enmebaragesi - 26th century BC

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Some have identified Gilgamesh with the Mesopotamian king Nimrod, usually considered to have been the Biblical figure responsible for the Tower of Babel. However, David Rohl has claimed stronger evidence in support of his theory that Nimrod is to be identified with Gilgamesh's predecessor, Enmerkar, founder of Uruk according to Sumerian legend.

Related Topics:
Nimrod - Biblical - Tower of Babel - David Rohl - Enmerkar

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In most texts, Gilgamesh is written with the determinative for divine beings (DINGIR), but there is no evidence for a contemporary cult, and the Sumerian Gilgamesh myths suggest the deification was a later development (unlike the case of the Akkadian god-kings). Historical or not, Gilgamesh became a legendary protagonist in the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Related Topics:
Sumer - Akkad - Epic of Gilgamesh

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