The Evolution of the Gilgamesh Epic
I think that this is a first-class piece of scholarship... [Tigay] has given us the first comprehensive analysis of the post-Sumerian Gilgamesh material, has examined in detail the interrelationships within this material, and has presented a strong case for a certain line of development. --William L. Moran, Harvard UniversityI think that this is a first-class piece of scholarship... [Tigay] has given us the first comprehensive analysis of the post-Sumerian Gilgamesh material, has examined in detail the interrelationships within this material, and has presented a strong case for a certain line of development. --William L. Moran, Harvard UniversityThere is no doubt that the reading and study of this carefully prepared work is to be recommended not only to Assyriologists and biblical scholars, but to all those who are seriously interested in the culture of the ancient Near East, in the history of literature and religion, or simply in one of the most outstanding expressions of humanism. --E. Lipinski, Israel Exploration JournalThis important book, [is] rich in detail and elaborate in presentation... scholars of literature, of the history of religions, of biblical studies, or, for that matter, devotees of Gilgamesh and his legends will find the book rewarding. --Jack M. Sasson, Religious Studies ReviewThis study of evolution tracing its development through all of its known stages over a period of at least 1500 years down to the manuscripts of its final version. The methodology employed by author differs from that developed for the stud of ancient literature in the 17th century through early 20th centuries primarily in that it is based on documentation from the early stage of the epic. The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the most significant Mesopotamian compositions discovered and reconstructed in the century and a half since the libraries of ancient Nineveh were first excavated. The Epic recounts the deeds and struggles of Gilgamesh, a king of the city-state Uruk in the Sumer. It is an ideal specimen of a study. No other Mesopotamian epic is so well attested from so many different periods. It is an exhaustive treatise and scholary approach upon textual evaluations rather than hypothetical literary criticism. --Educational Book Review, Feb.-March 2003[Tigay's] book will prove a most useful and most important tool for further scholarly advance. I can warmly recommend its publication. --Thorkild Jacobsen, emeritus, Harvard UniversityThere is no doubt that the reading and study of this carefully prepared work is to be recommended not only to Assyriologists and biblical scholars, but to all those who are seriously interested in the culture of the ancient Near East, in the history of literature and religion, or simply in one of the most outstanding expressions of humanism. --E. Lipinski, Israel Exploration JournalThis important book, [is] rich in detail and elaborate in presentation... scholars of literature, of the history of religions, of biblical studies, or, for that matter, devotees of Gilgamesh and his legends will find the book rewarding. --Jack M. Sasson, Religious Studies ReviewThis study of evolution tracing its development through all of its known stages over a period of at least 1500 years down to the manuscripts of its final version. The methodology employed by author differs from that developed for the stud of ancient literature in the 17th century through early 20th centuries primarily in that it is based on documentation from the early stage of the epic. The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the most significant Mesopotamian compositions discovered and reconstructed in the century and a half since the libraries of ancient Nineveh were first excavated. --Thorkild Jacobsen, emeritus, Harvard University