Epic of Gilgamesh: myths and heroes in ancient Mesopotamia

You're Dead to Me

BBC

Comedy, History

4.7 • 11.8K Ratings

🗓️ 13 March 2026

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Greg Jenner is joined in the ancient world by Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid and comedian Marjolein Robertson to learn all about the famous Mesopotamian poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh. Sumerian poems about a legendary king called Gilgamesh began to be composed sometime in the third millennium, and were told and retold throughout Mesopotamia until a Babylonian scholar named Sîn-leqi-unninni wrote down what has become the standard version. The tale he recorded tells of a tyrannical king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, and the transformative journey he takes with his enemy-turned-friend (and possibly more), Enkidu. In the 3100 lines of the poem, they fight forest guardians and celestial bulls, anger the gods, and even challenge death itself. In this episode, we retell the story of Gilgamesh, exploring the history of the epic’s composition, what it tells us about ancient Mesopotamian storytelling and beliefs, and how it was rediscovered in the nineteenth century, written in cuneiform on clay tablets housed in the Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh. We also look at the themes of companionship, community and environmental protection that are still relevant today, and ask the question: is Gilgamesh just a legend, or was he based on a real king?

If you’re a fan of captivating myths and legends from the ancient world, heroic kings and impossible quests, and historians decoding ancient texts, you’ll love our episode on the Epic of Gilgamesh.

If you want more ancient history with Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid, listen to our episodes on the Babylonians and Cuneiform. And for more from Marjolein Robertson, check out our episode on Robert Bruce.

You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.

Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Katharine Russell Written by: Katharine Russell, Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars

Transcript

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0:53.8	Hello and welcome to You're Dead to Me,
0:55.9	the Radio 4 comedy podcast that takes history seriously.
0:58.8	My name's Greg Jenner.
0:59.7	I am a public historian, author and broadcaster.
1:02.1	And today we are grabbing our bestie and gallivanting back
1:04.9	to ancient Mesopotamia to learn all about the epic of Gilgamesh.
1:09.3	And to help us on this daunting quest, we have two very special guides. In History Corner, she's an honorary fellow at Wolfson College, University of Oxford, where she researches and teaches on the history of Mesopotamia, Keneiform, and the Akkadian language. You might have read her wonderful recent book between two rivers, ancient Mesopotamia and the birth of history. It is glorious. And you'll remember her from our episodes on the ancient Babylonians and Kenea Form. It's Dr. Moody and Rashid. Welcome Moody. Thank you. Thanks for having me. It's awesome to be back. We love having you back. And in Comedy Corner, she's an award-winning, comedian, actor and storyteller. You might have seen her sell-out Edinburgh Fringe show, or quarter on breaking the news or Rosie Jones's disability comedy extravaganza or her new Radio 4 show, Human Watch. And you'll definitely remember her from our episode on Scottish hero Robert Bruce, not Robert the Bruce. It's Mary Lane Robertson. Welcome back, Mary Lane.
1:57.8	Hey, thank you for having me back to teach me more stuff.
	...

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