A) The Epic of Gilgamesh

• Gilgamesh “had seen everything” and “journeyed to the edge of the world.”
• Built the walls of Uruk — “ramparts gleam like copper in the sun.”
• The city represents human achievement and pride.

B) Uruk, Gilgamesh’s Capital City

• Uruk is walled — protection from both enemies and the environment.
• Early idea: nature = dangerous, city = safety and civilization.
• “Observe the land it encloses” — gardens, orchards, temples — the built environment.
• Marks one of the first distinctions between natural and unnatural.
• In Gilgamesh’s time: the city is privileged.
• Today: we often privilege “natural” (organic, pure) — but the divide still exists.

C) The Character Gilgamesh

• Historical king from ~4600 years ago.
• “Trampling its citizens like a wild bull” — arrogant and cruel.
• Abuses power and “uses” women — reference to institutionalized rape.