Sumerian and Hebrew Literature Quiz

Sumerian Literature

• Epic of Gilgamesh (circa 2000 BCE)
• Friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, Gilgamesh's quest for immortality
• Gilgamesh, largely a god, ruled Uruk; Gods sent Enkidu, their friendship formed.
• They killed the cruel demon Humbaba.
• Goddess Ishtar's love for Gilgamesh, turned to anger upon rejection, leading to Enkidu's curse of death.
• Gilgamesh sought the secret of immortality (a plant that revives him, but a serpent takes it).
• Gilgamesh's final discussion with Enkidu's soul, describing the grim afterlife.
• The epic is written across 12 tablets, only one surviving.
• Unknown author is identified.
• Main theme: achieving a lasting name rather than attaining eternal life.

Hebrew Literature

• Bible (sacred book for Jews and Christians), covering Israelite history.
• Comprising 46 books, most extensively focusing on the history of the Israelite people.
• Torah (the first five books of the Bible): oldest part of the Bible.
• Includes narrative and poetic books.
• Prophetic books:
• Biblical stories of creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, David, Goliath.

Indian Literature

• Ramayana (epic of Prince Rama and his wife Sita)
• Mahabharata (epic concerning a battle for the throne and includes myths and religious teachings from the Indian mythology).
• Kama Sutra (a guide for improving sexual relations, especially written for the higher classes).

Greek Literature

• Homer's Iliad

• Describes 51 days of 10-year Trojan War.

• Involves the abduction of Helen who precipitated the war.

• Central to the conflict was the Judgment of Paris, regarding which goddess he favoured.

• War and heroes (Greek Achilles and Trojan Hector) are the core subjects of the epic.

• Hector's burial marks the end.

• Homer's Odyssey

• Depicts Odysseus' 10-year journey home after the Trojan War.

• Many trials and tribulations including Poseidon's anger, interactions with monsters, and the Siren's.

• Odysseus' return is long and perilous; eventually returning home, reunites with his wife Penelope.

• Sophocles' Oedipus Rex

• Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother.

• Fulfills prophecies of Greek myth.

• Represents themes about conflict between human fate and human choice.

• Euripides' Medea

• Medea kills her children out of vengeance concerning Jason's infidelity.

• A play depicting the themes of revenge, love, and loss.

• Aristophanes

• Comedic playwright of ancient Greece.

• Famous for satire that addressed political, social, and cultural issues of the time.

Roman Literature

• Plautus' plays; including 'Pot of Gold' with themes of avarice.
• Cicero's writings; notable orator.
• Caesar's 'Commentaries on the Gallic War'; a historical account of his military exploits.
• Virgil's Aeneid; a story of the Trojan prince Aeneas establishing Rome, continuing the Trojan narrative through a new lens.
• Horace's satires, exposing human flaws, and Odes, celebrating beauty and nature.
• Ovid's Metamorphoses, a collection of Greek and Roman myths, notable for its influence on Renaissance literature.