About the project

In 2007/2008, the exhibition “Gilgamesch. Archäologie einer unsterblichen Gestalt im Alten Orient” took place at the August Kestner Museum in Hannover. It provided an insight into one of the oldest literary texts known today – the epic of Gilgamesh, the mythical king of ancient Uruk. This fascinating 5-millenia-old epic tells the story of Gilgamesh and his profound catharsis, charting his transformation from despotic and unjust ruler to wise and righteous king.

What began entirely as a student project in 2005 resulted in a fruitful cooperation with the August Kestner Museum, Hannover, in 2007/2008, and a subsequent exhibition in the Museum für Natur und Mensch, Oldenburg, in 2009.

We undertook the exhibition’s concept development and planning, together with students from the Freie Universität Berlin, who also provided the articles for the catalogue.

To illustrate scenes from the epic, the young artist Franziska Leischker produced a series of screen prints exclusively for the exhibition and the catalogue.

Literature

• Bonatz, D./Siebert, V. (Eds.) 2008: Gilgamesch. Archäologie einer unsterblichen Gestalt im Alten Orient, Hannover. (Exhibition Catalogue).
• Schott, A. 1958: Das Gilgamesch-Epos, newly ed. v. W. von Soden, Stuttgart (2003).