Essays

Mesopotamian Society in the "Epic of Gilgamesh" and "Code of Hammurabi"

Although hundreds of years apart, Babylon and Uruk reflect Mesopotamian society and culture through their profound written works. Babylon's "Code of Hammurabi" and Uruk's "Epic of Gilgamesh" provides insight into the way ancient Mesopotamian operated. In both significant texts, leadership values, religion, and societal taboos play prominent roles.

Leadership is a major theme in each text. The Code of Hammurabi was composed by Hammurabi, king of Babylon. Epic of Gilgamesh prominently features Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, as the main character. However, despite the fact that both texts center on a king, it seems that the two cultures disagree on what made a leader worthy enough to lead.

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the people of Uruk seem to value Gilgamesh's brute strength and good looks before any other leadership qualities. In the first tablet of the epic, the narrator describes Gilgamesh as "...strong to perfection...beautiful, handsomest of men...perfect (Epic of Gilgamesh, p. 4)." It appears that the people of Uruk were looking for someone with an aesthetic outwardly presence to lead them.

The Code of Hammurabi, however, places a significant importance on divine appointment. In the prologue of Hammurabi, Hammurabi states "When Marduk sent me to rule over men, to give the protection of right to the land, I did right and righteousness in..., and brought about the well-being of the oppressed (Code of Hammurabi, p. 5)." Throughout the prologue Hammurabi constantly references other deities as well.

Religion is an important aspect of both societies, especially concerning certain behaviors being forbidden or otherwise ineffable. One of the things seen as something "dirty" is alcohol. In the Code of Hammurabi, priestesses or "sisters of a god" are restricted from entering or opening a tavern under the punishment of an excruciating death (Code of Hammurabi, L. 110). It is quite possible that they were forbidden based on the type of individuals who were associated with such establishments; however, clues in the Epic of Gilgamesh indicate that the consumption of alcohol was considered an unholy act for uncontaminated and devout persons.

Before Enkidu's fall, when he was still a pure being, it is stated that Enkidu's "...thirst was slaked with (mere) water. (Epic of Gilgamesh, p. 6)" and that "...of drinking beer he had not been taught (Epic of Gilgamesh, p. 16)." After Enkidu is awakened from his innocent state, he reluctantly accepts alcohol and gets drunk, "...he drank the beer—seven jugs!—and became expansive and sang with joy! (Epic of Gilgamesh, p. 16)"

Not only did religion dictate that divinely venerated peoples should not consume alcohol, but also that sex was an act not to be performed by those who wished to remain pure and holy. The Code of Hammurabi suggests that priestesses were meant to be virgins. This is implied when the code demands that anyone who falsely accuses a priestess of sexual impurity would be punished, "...point the finger (slander) at a sister of a god...and cannot prove it, this man shall be taken before the judges and his brow shall be marked (Code of Hammurabi, L. 127)." Slandering a priestess was a very serious offense, because of their vestal vows. Priestesses were consecrated and devoted to their patron gods. If accusing a priestess of sexual impurity was such a severe accusation, it is reasonable to assume that sex was considering something unholy for sanctified people.

Sex as a pollution is very prominent in the Epic of Gilgamesh, especially when the temple harlot seduces Enkidu. The gods created Enkidu as an unblemished being who roamed with the animals and was connected very deeply to the natural world. However, when Shamhat "exposes her sex" (Epic of Gilgamesh, p. 9) and entices Enkidu, the world around Enkidu shifts and his eyes are opened to a completely different reality. His bond with nature is broken as his innocence and purity is stripped away, "...when he turned his attention to his animals, the gazelles saw Enkidu and darted off, the wild animals distanced themselves from his body... (Epic of Gilgamesh, p.9)." This strongly suggests that virginity is sacred and pious, and sex is unwholesome and pollutes the bond between the natural world or celestial world and humankind.

There are many themes to compare and contrast in the Epic of Gilgamesh and in the Code of Hammurabi. Uruk and Babylon were hundreds of years apart, and their practices may have been slightly different, but society in Mesopotamia did not differ vastly. Religion and leadership intertwined, casting a shadow of what Mesopotamian society and culture was like.