The Epic of Gilgamesh is the most famous work of Babylonian literature, in which the everlasting question of life’s purpose and the inevitability of human death is posed. The poem is divided into four major sections: the tale of Gilgamesh’s control of Uruk, the arrival of Enkidu, and their friendship, a summary of their adventures, Gilgamesh’s odyssey in pursuit of immortality (Sanders, 2). The final part comprises Gilgamesh’s conversation with the shadow of the deceased Enkidu. Some of the episodes may be distant echoes of historical events mentioned in legends from the past. Apart from this, The Epic of Gilgamesh incorporates mythological and legendary plots based on ancient legends about the great flood, man’s existence, and the afterlife.
The topic of post-existence has been widely examined in ancient civilizations’ literary works, namely, in the Egyptian Book of the Dead. From the perspective of the book’s author, after death, there are two options for a person: staying in the paradise Field of Reeds or completely ceasing to exist, depending on their lifetime behavior (Gala 3:40-3:56). Death in Mesopotamian culture conjures up a curious vision of the afterlife as dark and hazardous, with all the deceased souls trapped underground. The underworld is depicted in The Epic of Gilgamesh through Enkidu’s dream, which he saw shortly before dying. The dead in this vision are unable to resurrect: they are forced to live in the dark, wearing “garments of feather,” drinking mud, and eating clay (Sanders, 14). Thus, the ancient Egyptians regarded death as a brief transition into what might become eternal life in heaven. The Sumerians, who were the antithesis of this rather optimistic vision of the afterlife, saw death as a grim place that they desperately wanted to avoid.
To summarize, both cultures were concerned with death and lived similar difficult lives in their desperate attempts to survive. However, these ancient literature works demonstrate that the ancient Sumerians and Egyptians had radically different ideas about death. The Egyptians were under tremendous pressure to behave in line with their Gods’ wishes in order to reach eternal heaven after death. The Mesopotamian vision was grim, and they were forced to reflect on whatever pleasures they might get in life before they pass away. Everyone’s destiny in post-existence was the same for the Sumerians, irrespective of their behavior during the lifetime.
References
Gala, Tejal. “The Egyptian Book of the Dead: A Guidebook for the Underworld – Tejal Gala.”YouTube, 2016.
Sanders, Nancy Katharine. The Epic of Gilgamesh; an English Version with an Intro by N.K. Sandars. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, Penguin Books, 1964.