Gilgamesh
Mesopotamia · California History–Social Science 6.2
Gilgamesh was probably a real king of Uruk, one of the great Sumerian city-states of Mesopotamia, around 2700 BCE. Later stories turned him into a legendary hero. The most famous is the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest stories ever written. It was written in cuneiform on clay tablets. In the story, Gilgamesh is a proud and powerful king. He becomes best friends with a wild man named Enkidu, and together they go on adventures and fight monsters. When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh is heartbroken and sets out to find a way to live forever. He fails, but he learns that people live on through the great things they build, like the strong walls of his city, Uruk. The story also includes a great flood, much like stories from other cultures.
Key facts
- Gilgamesh was probably a real king of the Sumerian city of Uruk, around 2700 BCE.
- The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest written stories in the world.
- The epic was written in cuneiform on clay tablets.
In the game
- Capital cost (CC)
- 5
- Influence Points (IP)
- 5
- Type
- Cultural
Epic Hero. At Once: Gain +1 IP for each of your Cultural cards in play.
How to earn it: Students beat Gilgamesh in a rematch (the Giant battle) on the Mesopotamia map.
