TheEpic of Gilgamesh is anepic poemfrom ancientMesopotamiathat is often regarded as the earliest surviving great work of literature and the second oldest religious text, after thePyramid Texts. The literary history ofGilgameshbegins with fiveSumerianpoems about Bilgamesh (Sumerian for "Gilgamesh"), king ofUruk, dating from theThird Dynasty of Ur(c. 2100 BC). These independent stories were later used as source material for a combined epic inAkkadian. The first surviving version of this combined epic, known as the "Old Babylonian" version dates to the 18th century BC and is titled after itsincipit,Shūtur eli sharrī("Surpassing All Other Kings"). Only a fewtabletsof it have survived. The later Standard Babylonian version compiled bySîn-lēqi-unninnidates from the 13th to the 10th centuries BC and bears theincipitSha naqba īmuru("He who Saw the Abyss", in modern terms: "He who Sees the Unknown"). Approximately two-thirds of this longer, twelve-tablet version have been recovered. So...