Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld and the Sumerian Gilgamesh Cycle (Untersuchungen zur Assyriologie und vorderasiatischen Archologie, 10)

Alhena Gadotti offers a much needed new edition of the Sumerian composition Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld , last published by Aaron Shaffer in his 1963 doctoral dissertation. Since then, several new manuscripts have come to light, prompting not only a new edition of the text, but also a re-examination of the composition. In this book, Gadotti argues that Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld was the first, not the last of the Sumerian stories about Gilgamesh. She also suggests that a Sumerian Gilgamesh Cycle, currently only attested in old Babylonian manuscripts (ca. 18th century BCE), was in fact developed during the Ur III period (ca. 2100-2000 BCE). Providing a new way to look at the Sumerian Gilgamesh stories, this book is relevant not only to scholars of the ancient Near East, but also to anyone interested in epic and epic cycle. Table of Contents 10 Acknowledgements 8 Abbreviations 14 On Transliteration and Conventions 16 CHAPTER I. “Gilgameš, Enkidu and the Netherworld”: An Overview 18 1. Status Quaestionis 20 2. Summary of the Composition 21 CHAPTER II. The Prologue of “Gilgameš, Enkidu and the Netherworld” 24 1. Status Quaestionis 24 2. The Cosmology of the Prologue: GEN 1-13 27 3. The Journey of Enki to the kur: GEN 14-26 31 3.1 The Destination of Enki’s Journey 32 3.2 The Outcome of Enki’s Journey 34 3.3 The Reasons for Enki’s Journey 34 3.4 The Waters to the Netherworld 35 3.5 The Attack against Enki 36 3.6 The Function of the Story 38 4. The Function of the Prologue I: GEN 38 5. The Function of the Prologue II: The Sumerian Gilgameš Cycle 40 6. Conclusions 42 CHAPTER III. The Ḫalub-Tree 44 1. Introduction 44 2. The Ḫalub-Tree in Lexical Lists 45 3. The Ḫalub-Tree in the Third Millennium BCE Royal Inscriptions 46 4. The mes-ḫalub-Tree in the Administrative Texts from Early Dynastic IIIb Girsu 48 5. The Ḫalub-Tree in the Administrative texts from Ur III Period 49 6. The Ḫalub-Tree in Ur III Incantations 52 7. The Ḫalub-Tree in Sumerian Literary Compositions 53 8. The Ḫa-lu-úb ḫar-ra-an 59 9. The Ḫuluppu-Tree in Akkadian Sources 61 10. Conclusions: The Epigraphic Evidence 63 11. Ḫalub = Mahlab Cherry 64 12. Conclusions 65 CHAPTER IV. Narrative and Poetic Structure 68 1. Status Quaestionis 68 2. Poetic Structure 70 3. Narrative Structure 76 4. Analysis of the Narrative Units 79 4.1 Prologue 79 4.2 The ?alub-tree episode 81 4.3 The Ballgame 85 4.4 The Descent to the Netherworld 87 4.5 The Description of the Netherworld 92 4.6 The Return of Gilgameš and Enkidu to Uruk (Ur tradition) 96 5. Conclusions 97 CHAPTER V. Enkidu Redivivus 100 1. Introduction 100 2. Bringing Enkidu Back from the Dead 100 3. The Meturan Catch-Line 105 4. Conclusions 107 CHAPTER VI. The Sumerian Gilgameš Cycle 110 1. Introduction 110 2. Status Quaestionis 113 3. The Internal Evidence 116 3.1 The Prologue 116 3.2 Doxologies and Colophons 116 3.3 The End of GEN According to the Ur Tradition 119 3.4 The Meturan Catch-line 121 3.5 Gilgameš’s Deeds According to the “Death of Gilgameš” 121 4. External Evidence: Archaeological Evidence 123 5. Evidence Against a Cycle? 123 6. Conclusions 125 CHAPTER VII. Enkidu’s Return and The Catalogue of Ghosts: GEN ll. 255-end 126 1. Introduction 126 2. Mesopotamian Ghosts and How to Deal with Them 128 3. If One has Heirs ...: GEN 255-268 130 4. If One has No Heir: GEN 269-278 131 5. If One Dies ... not Whole? GEN 279-286a and 305-306 132 6. The Man whose Corpse Lies in the Steppe: GEN 289-289a 134 7. The Disrespectful Ghosts: GEN 295-300 135 8. The Respectful Ghost: GEN 301-302 136 9. The Still-Born: GEN 303-304 137 10. The Pedagogical Purposes of GEN 255-end 137 11. The Underlying Message of GEN 255-end: Nippur, Ur and Meturan 138 11.1 Nippur Tradition 138 11.2 Ur Tradition 139 11.3 Meturan Tradition 143 12. Conclusions 144 CHAPTER VIII. The Manuscripts 146 1. Introduction 146 2. Provenience, Archaeological Context and Date of the Manuscripts 146 2.1 Nippur 146 2.2 Ur 147 2.3 Meturan 148 2.4 Sippar 148 2.5 Isin 148 2.6 Uruk 148 2.7 Unknown Provenience 149 2.8 Dating of GEN Manuscripts 149 3. Tablet Types 149 3.1 Excerpt Tablets (Type S) 149 3.2 Multicolumn Tablets (Type M2/3) 149 3.3 Prism (Type P) 150 4. The List of the Sources 150 5. Manuscripts and Textual Variants: Introduction 158 5.1 Nippur Features 160 5.2 Ur Features 160 5.3 Meturan Features 160 5.4 Sippar (Si1) 161 5.5 Isin (Is1) 161 5.6 Uruk (Uk1) 162 5.7 Unknown Provenience: X1 162 6. Variations in GEN: An Overview 163 6.1 Omission of Signs 163 6.2 Omission of Words 163 6.3 Omission of Lines 164 6.4 Addition of Morphemes 165 6.5 Addition of Lexemes 166 6.6 Addition of Lines 166 6.6.1 Line Sequence’s Variation 166 6.7 Substitution of Morphemes 167 6.8 Substitution of Lexeme 168 6.9 Substitution of Lines 168 The Edition 170 Translation 171 Gilgameš Enkidu and the Netherworld 171 Ur4 (UET 6/1 58, rev 6 ́–16 ́) 178 Ur6 (UET 6/1 60, rev 1 ́–18 ́) 178 Me2 (Mt2 27–29) 178 Eclectic Text 179 Ur4 (UET 6/1 58, rev 6 ́–16 ́) 185 Ur6 (UET 6/1 60, rev 1 ́–18 ́) 185 Me2 (Mt2 rev 27–29) 186 Textual Matrix 188 Ur4 (follows GEN l. 306) rev. 6 ́–16 ́ 259 Ur6 1 ́–18 ́ 259 Me2 rev. 27–29 259 Commentary 260 Ur4 = UET 6/1 58 rev. 6 ́–16 ́ 319 Ur6 = UET 6/1 60 rev. 1 ́–18 ́ 322 H 157 = Me2 rev. 27–29 325 Colophons and Doxologies 325 Appendix 326 Reconstruction of Problematic Manuscripts 326 1. N44 326 2. Ur5 327 3. Ur6 328 4. X1 329 Bibliography 332 Indexes 346 Plates 374 On Transliteration And Coventions -- 1. Introduction -- 2. The Prologue Of Gilgames̆, Enkidu And The Netherworld -- 3. The Halub-tree -- 4. Narrative And Poetic Structure -- 5. Enkidu Redivivus -- 6. The Sumerian Gilgames̆ Cycle -- 7. Enkidu's Return And The Catalogue Of Ghosts : Gen Ll. 255-end -- 8. The Manuscripts -- The Edition -- Translation -- Eclectic Text -- Textual Matrix -- Commentary -- Appendix. Alhena Gadotti. Plates Run From Page 359-430. Revised Version Of Doctoral Dissertation Submitted To The Department Of Near Eastern Studies, The Johns Hopkins University, Sept. 2005. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Description: Providing a new perspective on the Sumerian Gilgamesh stories, Alhena Gadotti argues that a Sumerian Gilgamesh Cycle was developed as early as Ur III, and that Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld was the first, not the last story of this cycle. Prompted by several texts that have come to light since Aaron Shaffer's 1963 publication of the text, this book offers a new edition and a re-examination of the composition