Essay Compare And Contrast Gilgamesh And Mesopotamian Art

Looking at the two civilizations of Sumer and ancient Egypt, one can see many differences with the two civilization’s art. One of the attributes to their different art was a result of the location of the two civilizations. Sumer was located between two rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, which today is known as Mesopotamia. In between the two rivers is very fertile land, but once away from the rivers it was mainly desert. The rivers had very unpredictable flooding, which destroyed many crops yearly. Starvation was common and so was death. There were no geographical barriers, like seas or mountains, at all. This made Sumer a very easy place to conquer. Other civilizations wanted the fertile land of the rivers, and since it was hard to defend Sumer, it was a prime spot to conquer. Wars and death were apart of daily life. It would only make sense the production of art reflected their lifestyle. Egypt,

Everything he said or did, was a way for others to remember him. Throughout the epic there were many examples of how Gilgamesh was trying to be immortal, or leaving a lasting legacy. One example of this is when he, and Enkidu, traveled to the forest to kill Humbaba, in the woods. Gilgamesh knew it would be very dangerous and he, or Enkidu, could lose their life. If they prevailed, he knew that people would talk about them for centuries, at least. In Gilgamesh’s eyes being remembered was far more important than life. Even if they had perished, the civilians of Sumer would still talk about them trying to destroy the dangerous beast. It was a win win situation for Gilgamesh, so they went. Gilgamesh claimed he wanted to destroy Humbaba to protect the land, but Gilgamesh did it as a result of an unconscious desire to be remembered. After he killed the beast, all anyone could talk about was the great feat that they had accomplished. GIlgamesh made a lasting legacy upon the people of