Babylon: Mythology & Philosophy

BABYLON: MYTHOLOGY &
PHILOSOPHY
■ Known today as modern day Baghdad, Babylon was one of the earliest large-scale
civilizations in ancient history.
■ Had its own system of laws, social rules, culture , and well-documented literature.
■ Each being a manifestation of the society’s philosophical foundations.
■ Babylonian Philosophy can be traced back to early Mesopotamian wisdom, which

embodied certain philosophies of life, particularly ethics. These are reflected in
Mesopotamian religion and in a variety of Babylonian literature.
Basic Concepts
There are prominent concepts in Babylonian philosophy which have been carried over to many
different philosophical schools and movements in different parts of the world:
– All things are the result of organic evolution (so a Creator is not needed and the way is
open for Man to think that he helped in his own creation and evolution and that he
therefore has the power for his own advancement).
– The human intellect has pre-eminence.
– A total state or welfare society or, arguably, totalitarianism is the natural path to follow.
Wisdom Literature
■ Literary material that discusses issues such as the problem of suffering, what makes up
a good life, as well as myths, fables and proverbs that describe the features and role of
man in the world.
■ In Babylonian myths:
– Man was believed to have been created to serve the gods.
– Duties have been primarily of a cultic and ritual nature and was rewarded with success and
longevity.
– Every man also had duties to his fellow man, particularly the king's duties to his subjects;
which was to exercise justice and righteousness
■ The most famous of these myths is the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Epic of Gilgamesh
■ The first half of the story discusses Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, and Enkidu, a wild man
created by the gods to stop Gilgamesh from oppressing the people of Uruk.
■ After Enkidu becomes civilized through sexual initiation with a harlot, he travels to
Uruk, where he challenges Gilgamesh to a test of strength. Gilgamesh wins and the two
become friends.
■ Together, they make a six-day journey to the legendary Cedar Forest, where they plan to
slay the Guardian, Humbaba the Terrible, and cut down the sacred Cedar. Later they kill
the Bull of Heaven, which the goddess Ishtar sends to punish Gilgamesh for spurning
her advances.
■ As a punishment for these actions, the gods sentence Enkidu to death.
■ In the second half of the epic, distress about Enkidu's death causes Gilgamesh to first
seek to revive him, and when finding out that such is not possible, to undertake a long
and perilous journey to discover the secret of eternal life.
■ He reaches Utnapishtim, an immortal man who survived the great flood. Utnapishtim
tells him he will teach him the secret if he can stay awake for a week, but Gilgamesh
cannot.
■ He tells him anyways about a plant that if eaten can grant immortality, but when
Gilgamesh finds it a snake eats it and he accepts his mortality.
■ However, because of his great building projects, his account of Siduri's advice,
Gilgamesh's fame survived his death.
Themes
■ The Inevitability of Death
– The message that this text conveys is that death is an inevitable, inherent aspect of
human existence. After failing to transform himself into an immortal, Gilgamesh
returns to the city with a new understanding of reality. He sees his city for its
beauty, a paradise on earth that should be admired for as long as life lasts.
■ The Meaningfulness of Life
– The epic of Gilgamesh emphasizes the importance in enjoying life to the fullest,
rather than looking forward or preparing for an afterlife.
■ The Power of “Gods”
– For the Mesopotamians, piety and respect for the gods are not true moral
obligations. Rather, piety and respect suggest a practical acknowledgment of
nature’s power and serve to remind humans of their place in the larger scheme of
things.
■ ”Until the end comes, enjoy your life, spend it in happiness, not despair. Savor your
food, make each of your days a delight, bathe and anoint yourself, wear bright clothes
that are sparkling clean, let music and dancing fill your house, love the child who holds
you by the hand, and give your wife pleasure in your embrace. That is the best way for
man to live.”

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BABYLON: MYTHOLOGY &

■ Each being a manifestation of the society’s philosophical foundations.

■ Babylonian Philosophy can be traced back to early Mesopotamian wisdom, which

■ The most famous of these myths is the Epic of Gilgamesh.

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