Sumerian Views of Death
Civilization is defined as "a state that binds people together to transcend tides of family, clan, tribe, and village." (Woolf, H.B., 1974, p.141) By using this definition, one can compare and contrast the many different traits that the Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations had. Both The Epic of Gilgamesh and the three Egyptian funerary documents are very good examples of written documents that show these two differences in civilization. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a long narrative poem which shows the many trials set before a young hero. (Andrea, A.; Overfield, J.H., 1998, p.8) This epic was discovered on twelve clay tablets in the remains of a library dated back to the seventeenth century before Christ. (Andrea, A.; Overfield, J.H., 1998, p.8) Within this epic, the reader will get an idea of how the Sumerians lived and communicated within their community. Similarly, the Egyptian traits of civilization can be explained when the Coffin Texts are analyzed. The three funerary documents, which will be discussed later, were found written inside wooden coffins of people could who afford expensive funerals. (Andrea, A.; Overfield, J.H., 1998, p.18) Many of these writing concentrated on death and disaster, and the miseries and f
It will become quite evident that the Egyptians view of the afterlife was fairly similar, but in some way was considerably different. The Sumerians believed they could defeat death if they proved themselves while living, rather than being faithful throughout their life. I have not caused pain, I have not caused tears, I have not killed, I have not made anyone suffer. Even though the ancient civilization of Egypt and Sumer occurred almost at the same time, their views on how a person should live their life and how they got to the afterlife differed greatly. Similarly, "Negative Confession" is taken from The Book of the Dead, and contains writing upon the topic of death. Finally, within "The Negative Confession", it becomes evident to the reader what traits are important to have upon approaching death. Although Gligamesh is known as being "two-thirds a god and one-third human", he must face death someday. Within this story, the reader is presented with many different facts of how the Sumerians viewed the afterlife.
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Acceptance Essays
