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"He who saw the deep." is the dramatic start of a translation of the oldest extant version of the epic tale of Gilgamesh, which is the focus of The Buried Book. Gilgamesh was evidently a real king of the Sumerian city of Uruk, and ruled c.2650 BCE. But by the time of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal in the mid-600s BCE, Gilgamesh was already legendary, and was in fact honored as one of the judges of souls in the underworld. His epic adventures were written in Akkadian cuneiform on hardened clay tablets, and a copy of these tablets was in Ashurbanipal's library at Nineveh (near modern Mosul, Iraq). The library collapsed in the fall of the city in 612 BCE, and its contents were buried for two millennia. "The Buried Book" recounts the story of the rediscovery of the tablets, their journey to the British Museum in London, and their eventual translation into English. The book is written in reverse. It begins with George Smith's electrifying translation and publicizing of a passage on a tablet fragment which he translated during one of his lunch-hour visits to the museum. The fragment refers to a Great Flood. The public was energized by this possible independent verification of the Biblical Noah story, and George Smith was sent to Nineveh to try to find a complete copy of the flood tale. The Buried Book is wonderfully told, and is full of interesting information. Highly recommended.
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Previews available in: English
Subjects
Gilgamesh, Assyriology, History, Literary Criticism, Cuneiform, Archeology, Cultural Appropriation, New York Times reviewedPeople
George Smith, Gilgamesh, Ashurbanipal, Hormuzd RassamPlaces
London, Nineveh, Uruk, MesopotamiaEdition | Availability |
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1
The buried book: the loss and rediscovery of the great Epic of Gilgamesh
2008, Henry Holt
in English
- 1st Holt paperbacks ed.
0805087257 9780805087253
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2
The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh
March 6, 2007, Henry Holt and Co.
Hardcover
in English
0805080295 9780805080292
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3
The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh
December 26, 2007, Holt Paperbacks
Paperback
in English
0805087257 9780805087253
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4
The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh
December 26, 2007, Blackstone Audio Inc.
CD-ROM
in English
- Unabridged edition
1433206870 9781433206870
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5
The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh
December 26, 2007, Blackstone Audio Inc.
Audio CD
in English
- Unabridged edition
1433206862 9781433206863
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6
The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh
December 26, 2007, Blackstone Audio Inc.
Audio CD
in English
- Unabridged edition
1433206846 9781433206849
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7
The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh
December 26, 2007, Blackstone Audio Inc.
Audio Cassette
in English
- Unabridged edition
1433206854 9781433206856
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Book Details
Edition Notes
"A Holt paperback."
Originally published in hardcover: New York : Henry Holt, 2007.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
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- Created February 18, 2009
- 12 revisions
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January 14, 2023 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
December 4, 2022 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
August 11, 2022 | Edited by MARC Bot | normalize LCCNs |
January 1, 2022 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
February 18, 2009 | Created by ImportBot | Imported from San Francisco Public Library record |