The epic of Gilgamesh

 I like old stuff! Old houses and old cars and old whatnot. It also includes old stories. I absolutely loved reading authors like Tacitus and Caesar in the language in which they had written it, in secondary school. 

I still read old stuff. And I decided I should read the oldest stuff. I thought the Epic of Gilgamesh was the oldest known more or less complete story, at roughly 4000 years old. Is it? Im not sure! But it sure is old. 

It is largely a story about Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk (probably a historical figure), and his friend Enkidu, who is created as a sort of wild animal, but who is dragged into civilisation. They go on mighty quests. They also have an adventure when the gods decide to exterminate humanity, but they get a warning, and they build a boat in which they save loads of creatures. A familiar plot line! 

I suppose that in tablets with cuneiform, this is a huge tome, but on paper it is minute. It was good for taking with me on my travels. I’m glad I read it! I have no way of judging the translation, but it’s cool to read a story that has travelled across millennia. Especially the casual remarks about how people lived then are amazing. I can recommend!