The Last Quest of Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh the King The Revenge of Ishtar The Last Quest of Gilgamesh: "At the mouth of a river at the end of the earth a man lies, near death. Could this be Gilgamesh...? What has brought him to this desperate state...? It was the fear of Death." Yet, with Shamhat's encouragement, Gilgamesh is able to reach inside himself and endure incredible hardships. Besides physical challenges, he will be tempted by pleasure and have to use his wits to reach his goal. And Ishtar isn't through with him yet. Can Gilgamesh's strength and will overcome the challenges he faces? Will despair win out over determination? Can immortality be obtained by men? This picture book is the third and last in a series that retells the ancient story for eight to twelve year olds. The beautiful pictures are done Mesopotamian style. The author includes a note at the back of the book concerning the story, the flood legend, hell, and her opinion of Gilgamesh.

We really appreciate the beauty of this series of books as it covers "The Epic of Gilgamesh" in an appropriate and accessible way for our children. We love to use actual historic documents in our study if possible, but the actual epic is too uncomfortably graphic even for our older children, so we use these for everyone as we study Mesopotamia, Sumer and Babylon. There are not many books that cover these Near East cultures, which makes this set especially valuable. Along with "Our Young Folks' Josephus" as our history spine, "Science in Ancient Mesopotamia" and "Ancient Egyptians and their Neighbors: An Activity Guide (covering Hittites, Nubians, Mesopopotamians and Egyptians) this series helps considerably to round out our ancient history studies and to teach our children about one of the most ancient tales in the world in a beautifully engaging way.

My children and I are beginning a study of ancient civilizations and I bought the three Gilgamesh books to expand our coverage of ancient Sumer. These books are just amazing! The story itself is powerful but I wondered how the author was going to tone down some of the violence; not to mention the fact that Shamat was a prostitute in other versions. Ludmilla Zeman has brought this story to children with intensity and grace that comes as a complete surprise. I especially liked her painting of the chaste kiss between Shamat and Enkidu with the explanation that Shamat taught Enkidu to speak and together they explored the ways of love. Very tender. In her illustrations, Ludmilla Zeman has made an attempt to incorporate actual historical artifacts. These are all high-quality books in every sense and I cannot recommend them highly enough.