Fertile Crescent

  • The Epic of Gilgamesh

    In the Epic of Gilgamesh, despite clear division between them, Humanity, the Wild, and the Divine are inextricably linked in a synergetic relationship. Throughout the text, a significant emphasis is made on the differences between this triad. However the events of the story itself only prove their strong inter-connectivity. In the text, Humbaba was a monster tasked to guard the home of the gods, incidentally a massive Cedar Forest where Enkidu grew up. So the environment, or the Wild as it is often referred to in the text, houses and protects the Divine from the prying eyes of Humanity. Humbaba, implicitly the avatar of the gods and from a certain…

  • Tomyris- The woman who brought down Cyrus the Great

    Tomyris was the empress of the Massagetae people, who were herders and nomads in Central Asia, east of the Caspian Sea. There is not much known about the Massagetae, however, it is thought their way of life was similar to the Scythians. They kept herds of cattle and fought from horseback as well as from foot. There are also stories they sacrificed and ate their elders. This is not concrete, but gives you an idea of what was thought of them.Around this time, Cyrus the Great was at the [...]

  • The Historical Gilgamesh

    So for my very first post ever here on Naked History, I would like to discuss one of the oldest literary characters in recorded history: None other than King Gilgamesh of Uruk. When I say “literary” I do in fact mean fictional as the “Epic of Gilgamesh” was written circa 2000 BCE (between c. 2150 and 1400 BCE), predating Homer's work by roughly 1500 years. According to legend, he was a demigod possessing supernatural powers, such as uncanny strength, exceptionally long l [...]