The civilizing of Ea-Enkidu: An unusual tablet of the Babylonian Gilgamefi epic

Abstract

This article presents a unique tablet of Gilgameš, not previously published, on which is preserved part of the episode of the taming of Enkidu. However, the proper nouns Gilgameš and Enkidu are replaced with gods' names: d30 (Sîn) and d40 (Ea). No compelling explanation for this can be found. The tablet is probably of early Middle Babylonian date, from the Sealand. The article concludes with a comparison of its text with that of other versions of the poem. The chief difference is that this new account lacks the passage in which the wild man is offered bread and ale.