The Reluctant En of Inana — or the Persona of Gilgameš in the Perspective of Babylonian Political Philosophy

Abstract

Abstract Both the literary tradition and historical data proper indicate that, during the first few centuries of third millennium BC, Babylonian kingship underwent a significant transformation. While the original leaders of city-states were primarily ritual officials, beginning at ca. 2900–2800 various individuals began emancipating themselves from their ritual roles and the concomitant power of temple households, becoming instead purely secular officials, who strived to establish an independent power base for themselves, and to create hereditary dynastic lines. This paper argues that the paragon of this development was Gilgameš, the presumed early king of Uruk, as his persona and accomplishments are presented in the Sumerian and Akkadian literary sources. Toward that end, various compositions devoted to Gilgameš are discussed, in particular, “Gilgameš, Enkidu, and the Netherworld.”