E's grandfather has been following our progress online, and he recommends the "History of Our World" podcast on Gilgamesh. It's 45 minutes long, and dramatizes the epic.
A good video introduction to the cultural legacy of Gilgamesh can be found in this program, 30 minutes long. It includes interviews with Ludmila Zeman, David Damrosch, and others who have interpreted and retold this story.
And there is a 15-minute BBC podcast on the 1872 rediscovery of the flood tablet, which made one otherwise staid library assistant understandably ecstatic. This comes from the incomparable "A History of the World in 100 Objects"; hear also the earlier episodes on cuneiform, and on the Standard of Ur.
The kids genuinely love it when family and friends become involved in the story's background. It's marvelous to hear them discussing the narrative with peers as well as adults. Your interest helps reinforce the their own curiosity about this fascinating era and epic.
p.s. the version Miss E has been reading them is called Gilgamesh the Hero, adapted by Geraldine McCaughrean. And everyone has a copy of an informative DK volume on Mesopotamia. We can recommend both -- and there are many more books in our library for lending (see the other column on the right).
