Tigris–Euphrates region
Mesopotamia
A broad historical gateway for cuneiform traditions from ancient Mesopotamia. Individual texts come from different periods, cities, and manuscript witnesses.
Old Babylonian / Gilgamesh textual traditionEpic friendship
Gilgamesh and Enkidu
Old Babylonian Gilgamesh material preserves the meeting of a powerful king and Enkidu, a figure from outside the city whose confrontation with Gilgamesh becomes the beginning of an extraordinary companionship.
Read the entry →Old Babylonian / Gilgamesh textual traditionMortality quest
Gilgamesh's Search for Life
After loss forces him to confront death, Gilgamesh turns from heroic achievement toward a search for knowledge about life, death, and whether mortality can be escaped.
Read the entry →Place records are discovery aids. Traditions can span regions, languages, migrations, and modern political borders.