Della Vanhuss

Date of Award

9-18-1998

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Arts (DA)

Department

History

First Advisor

Walter Ellis

Abstract

Legends began to surface about Gilgamesh some two hundred years after he reigned as King of Uruk. Of Gilgamesh little is known except what was found in the Sumerian King's List, five or six poems, and in the Gilgamesh Epic itself. The epic has raised scholarly interest among those who would know more about this ancient and enigmatic character. The study developed out of a desire to explore the story in greater detail, and out of a curiosity as to how one would teach a class on the subject.I divided the study into three parts. Part one describes the background material used by the instructor which established the context of the epic. Such topics as archaeology, history, and religion were discussed. This section, however, began with a detailed description of how this study would be organized. Part two deals with the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the major themes of the work such as; love, death, man's search for immortality, the role of women, warfare, and kingship. This segment of the study also analyses the different versions of the tale. Part three details the pedagogical elements of the study. As such it provides the pedagogical conclusions drawn from having incorporated the Gilgamesh Epic into the history classroom. The main focus was to make some assessments as to how effective the Epic of Gilgamesh was as a tool for the teaching of Mesopotamian social, cultural, and political history.

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