The Epic of GilgameshMiraculously preserved on clay tablets deciphered only in the 19th century, the cycle of poems collected around the character of Gilgamesh, the great King of Uruk, tells of his long and arduous journey to the Spring of Youth, of his encounters with monsters and gods, and of his friendship with Enkidu, the wild man from the hills. Also included in the epic is a legend of the Flood, which agrees with many details in the biblical story of Noah. As a