The return of long-lost Sumero-Akkadian heritage and modern disorders: rediscovering Gilgamesh, Victorian tension, and aftermath

Abstract

Much has been said about the paradigms that generated and complexed the Victorian and post-Victorian tension, but surprisingly enough no sufficient attention was given to the role of the rediscovery of the Epic of Gilgamesh in this process. This paper first follows the actual origin, process, and importance of the rediscovery and reception of Gilgamesh since the second half of the nineteenth century. Second, the paper argues that Gilgamesh controversy has been central to the great multifaceted tension that defined the Victorian and post-Victorian periods. Finally, the paper attempts to answer the questions of why Gilgamesh has been deemed as a subject of great interest and importance for the modern literary and cultural scholars and general public and what aspects of themselves and their culture they recognized in the ancient Mesopotamian epic and its hero. Such discussions help increasing contemporary awareness of the more famous and more notable than all of cuneiform literatures, the Gilgamesh Epic, and lead therefore to raising awareness of the high richness of Ancient Near Eastern heritage and the crucial significance of preserving Sumer’s and Babylon’s legacy for future generations.