THE BABYLONIAN GILGAMESH EPIC INTRODUCTION, CRITICAL EDITION AND CUNEIFORM TEXTS Volume I A.R. George OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESSOXFORD Great Carendon Street, Oxford ox 60" ‘oxford Univecsy Press deparenent ofthe Universi of Oxford, Infurthersthe Universi abjeeive of excellence in search scholarship, nd education by publishing Woeldwide i= ‘Oxford NewYork ‘Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires CapeTown Chennai Dares Salam Dalhi Hong Kong Isanbel Karachi Kolats Koala Limpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi ‘St Paulo Shanghai Tuipel Taiyo Toronto Oxford isa registered rade mark of Onfor Univesity Press Inthe UK and corale othe countries, Published the Unite States by Oxford Universe Presi, NewYork DAR George 2003 ‘The moral right of the author hve been asserted Databce right Oxford University Pres (maker) Frsepubtised 2003, Allright reserved. 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Thave not brought toit the fashionable methodologies of modern i= cary criticisms that is for others to do. The research that underpins the editions of texts given in the following pages has already generated a translation published three years agoin ‘Penguin Classics. That rendering was aimed at a non-specialist audience and concessions ‘were made in the interests of readability. ‘The translation that accompanies the editions offered below is for Assyriologiss and scholars in related fields. Consequently its in many places less fluent but hope itis also more exact “The volumes the culmination of more than sixteen years’ personal labour, bu it builds onthe engagement of others with the text of the epic over a much longer period. Professor W.G. Lambert has been a ceaseless searcher after GlgameS for almost fifty years. In the 1960s, especially, his publication of tablets from Babylon and Nineveh greatly added to our knowledge ofthe text and fuelled his intentions of writing a new edition to replace the obso- letebook by R. Campbell Thompson, Drl.L. Finkel’ appointment tothe staf of the British ‘Museum in 1979 produced another spate of discoveries, which led toa tacitagreement with Lambert to edt te whole poem in partnership, When [arrived in London in 1985,looking {for a new research topic, Lambert very generously invited me to join their effors, first by copying the Kuyunjik tablets and subsequently by beginning to write the editions. Both Lambert and Finkel placed at my disposal material they had already produced, ‘Lambert furnished me with his unpublished copies of the Old Babylonian tablet now split between Berlin and London (OB VA + BM). the two tablets from Tell Harms (OB Harmal,), the Middle Babylonian tablet fom Ur, since published (MB Us), Assyrian [MS x, and six sources of the Standard Babylonian epic (SB MSS ay,2,€2) 4; d:,W)-2and 2). During the course of my work he drew my attention to still more manuscripts that he had identified (Assyrian MS z and SB MSS E,,V.,Z,, BE,is,tand vas wells parts of F,, ‘We P and dj). He also provided me with his personal wansiterations of OB Harmal, and MBUr, Finkel made available to me several more sources of the Standard Babylonian epic thathe discovered inthe British Museum (SB MSS e,km,,p,the larger parts of cand hand, atthe lst moment,a new piece of n),and also passed tome his copies of two stay fragments from Emar (MB Emar; b and ¢). Though other commitments prevented Lambert and Finkel from contributing moze than these materials, nevertheless the debt thatthe work owes t0 both is very considerable. To them both I express especial gratitude Others, too, have been kind enough to conuibute primary materials. Professor Aage Westenholz allowed me use of his copies ofthe Pennsylvania tablet (OB II), a second piece8 PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in Philadelphia (OB UM), the tablet from Neebuum (OB [shchali), and Middle Babylonian fragments from Ur, Nippur and Megiddo (MB Ur, MB Nippur, MB ‘Megiddo), most of which have since been published in Studie Lambert. Professor Aaron ‘Shaffer granted me use of his unpublished copy of theVale tablet (OBI). Professor Egbert von Weiher allowed me access tohis copies of three fragments from Uruk, well before their appearance in Uru TV (SB MSS aa, ce and ee), and sent me unpublished photographs of ‘0 of them, Likewise Father Werner R, Mayer passed to me photocopies of J. van Dilk’s copies of two pieces from Babylon in advance oftheir publication in VAS XXIV (SB MSS. xand y), and Professor Stefan M. Maul made available 19 me photographs and copies of several ublets from Aur before their publication in MDOG (Astyrian MS y, , SB MSS ‘and ¢,). Professor Nick Veldhuis sent me his copis of Middle Babylonian exercises later published in BYOr 56 and JCS 52 (MB Nippur,.). Professor JN. Postgae led me to the fragment here booked as SB MSW. Dr'T: Kwasman shared with me his discovery of Rem '956,n0w part of SB MS di. Takayoshi Oshima sent me his copy of MB Megiddo. Several scholars have generously allowed me 1 use drafts of unpublished articles. Pro- fessor Jacob Klein sent me his forthcoming study of Gilgame®'s oppression of Uruk. Pro- fessor Michael Schwartz forwarded to me on request apaper on Gilgamet in Arabic magic, Professor W. G, Lambert furnished me with a draft of his treatment of an incantation in ‘which Gilgames appears as an underworld god, and with his edition of a fragment of ‘Atra-hasis now inthe Meropolian Museum of Artin New York. Professor Gonzalo Rubio ‘made available to me two papers on Sumerian literary feagments of the Ur Il period, Dr Douglas R. rayne sent me a draft manuscrip on the Sumerian Gilgame’ ‘Many scholars have contributed in other ways. The late Professor O.R. Gurney sent me ‘an unpublished photograph ofthe Sultantepe tablet, SB MS £ Professor W.G. Lambert col- lated several signs on the same tablet during a visit to Ankara and passed to me prints of old photographs of George Smith's flood tablets (SB MSS C,J, and W,). He also provided me ‘with Edward Chiera’s unpublished collatons ofthe Pennsyivania tablet entered in the ‘margins of Chier’s copy of PBS X/3 and photocopied by David I. Owen, Professor Erle Leichty supplied me with prin of photographs of the Pennsyivania tablet (OB 1, Dr Laith M. Hussein passed on prins of phorographs of the more poorly preserved tablet, {rom Tell Harmal (OB Harmal,). Dr Fleanor Robson took and transmitted to me digital photographs of a Nimrud tablet in Baghdad (Assyrian MS 2). Mr Daniel A. Nevez per~ formed the same ttk in regard toa cast held by the Oriental Institue of the University of (Chicago (MB Nippur,). Dr Rene Kovacs provided me with digital photographs of one of ‘the tables in the Schoyen Collection (OB Schayen,). She and Professor Jens Brsatvi, in ‘charge of the collection’s publication, expedited my visit othe collection. Professor Miguel Civil sent me a photograph of the Schoyen collection’s Sumerian fragments utilized in (Chapter 12. DrTallay Ornan ofthe Israel Museum provided me with a photograph ofthe terracotta published in fig. 14 and drew my attention to the existence ofa similar object in ‘the Iraq Museum. Professor Aaron Shaffer gave me a copy of Haupt’s Nimrodepes, Profes- sor Stephen J Tinney and Kevin Dandi answered several requests for collation and other information relating tothe Babyionian Section, University Museum, Philadelphia, Other colleagues who responded to queries were Dr Jeanette Fincke, Professor Robert Englund, Professor Manfred Krebernik, Professor Klaas R. Veenbof, Professor Alfonso Archi, M. Dominique Charpin, Dr Graham Cunningham, Dr Heather Baker, Dr John Merkel, Pro- fessor Miguel Civil, Professor Piewo Mander, Professor Karl Hecker, Professor Richard LL. Zetler, Dr Yoval Goren, Dr Wayne Horowitz, M.J-Cl. Margueron, M.Yves Calvet, Mr “Terence Mitchel Dr Stephanie Dalley and Mme Florence Malbran-Labat. In the course of writing this book Fhave benefited hugely from the advice of those with more experience of GilgammeS than IL Most ofthe text ofthe epic was readin seminar with Profesor] D. Hawhins and Professor M.J. Geller between 1985 and 1991.The frst draft of the text editions chat make up Chapters 5, 6 and 11 was read by Professor Aage \Westenbolz between 1988 and 1994. The edition of SB Tablet Iwas read by the late Pro- {essor Thorkld Jacobsen in 1991. A large part of the whole book was read by Professor ‘W.G.Lambertin 1998-9. The composite edition of the Standard Babylonian epicin Chap- ter 11 is derived from synoptic (score?) transiterations ofall rwelve tablets prepared atthe ‘outset ofthe project In 1998 these translteratons were checked against the cuneiform ‘copies by Mss Janet Poi. eis hoped that eventually they willbe posed in elecsonic form ‘on an internet sit. All these exercises led to very welcome improvements in my under- standing ofthe text ofthe epic. FForthe first time since Haupt's Nimradepos the individual cuneiform text of every avail- able piece ofthe Babylonian Gilgamess given inthe plates: The copies are largely from my ‘hand, and ll bt one prepared from first-hand study ofthe orginal tablet, but didnot find ‘tneessary to make new eopies of everything. Those Late Babylonian sources published by [Lambert in C7 46 and not recopied since are reproduced here. So too are Finkels copy of ‘SBMS q, originally published in 4/0 29-30, von Weiber’s copy of SBMS ee from Uruk 1V, ‘Mauls copies ofthe tablets from Aiturin recent issues of MDOG and Oshim's copy of MB. ‘Megidao. In addition Ihave been glad to include Lamberts previously unpublished copies ‘of OBVA + BM, OB Harmal, SB ¢; and ws and Finke's unpublished copies ofall the fragments identified by him. Tis a pleasure to record my gratitude tothe authorities ofthe many museums visited daring the course of the writing of this book, ro their trustees, dzectors and curators for ‘permission o study and publish objects held in their keeping and toindividval members of staff for assistance kindly given during my visits: the'Trustees of the British Museum, Mr “Terence Mitchell and Dr John Curtis, successive Keepers ofthe Department ofthe Ancient ‘Near East (formerly Western Asiatic Antiquities), Mr C. BP Walker and Dr IL. Finkel; Dr L. Jakob-Rost, Dr E. Klengel-Brandt and Dr Beate Salie, successive Directors of the Vorderasiatsches Museum in Berlin, and Dr]. Marzahn, curator of cuneiform tblets; Professors). A. Brinkman andW. Farber, successive curators ofthe able collecons ofthe Oriental Instrute Museum, the University of Chicago, Messrs John Nolan snd Jonatan ‘Tenney, assistant curators, and Mr John A. Larsen, museam archivist; Professors Ake W. Sjaberg, Erle Leichty and Stephen J. Tinney, curators of the Babylonian Section of the ‘University Museum, Philadelphia; Professors WW. Hallo and Benjamin R. Foster, curstors ofthe Babylonian Collection, she Sterling Memorial Library, Yale University, and Dr Ulla