40: Royal Tombs of Ur, 2600-2400 BCE (The death of Gilgamesh)

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Guest: Sheila

We're so back! First, a Sumerian poem about Gilgamesh which mentions his trip to see Ziusudra (also known as Atrahasis, Utnapishtim, and/or Noah), which some have interpreted as evidence for the kind of mass human sacrifice we see in these tombs.

Then, the famous Royal Tombs of Ur, first excavated a century ago, with their famous treasures and aforementioned mass human sacrifice! For the first time, we're able to look at the royal family through the generations rather than dealing with isolated kings' names. We might even be able to identify some of their bodies, unlike their dozens of unlucky victims.

Then, we look at several of the famous artifacts which these tombs produced: the Standard of Ur, the Royal Game of Ur, and several bull-head lyres, including the Great Lyre, along with other musical instruments. We finish up with a look at four tombs: Personal Grave (PG) 1236, possibly the early king Aya-Anzu; PG 1237 (or the Great Death Pit), possibly King Meskalamdu; PG 755, possibly a later member of the royal family also named Meskalamdu; and PG 800, tomb of the famous Pu-abi with her famous jewelry.

Then: Gilgamesh, he of well-proportioned limbs, has lain down and is never to rise again! Sheila (who had just got back from visiting family in India when we recorded this way back in 2023) compares modern Hindu practices with the style of Sumerian oral performances like this one.

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Works cited