New lines from Epic of Gilgamesh discovered

[Duncan Head]

A tablet in Sulaymaniah Museum adds information to Gilgamesh and Enkidu's visit to the Cedar Forest and slaying of Humbaba. Among other things we have Humbaba pleading for his life and Enkidu urging Gilgamesh to go ahead and kill him:

Journal of Cuneiform Studies article at http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/38631
Commentary at http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/38631 among other places

[Sharur]

Thanks Duncan; good find!

Worth saying it's the later "Standard Babylonian Version" of the tale, not the earlier Sumerian ones, that have been added to by this, and for anyone particularly interested, Duncan's linked page also includes a free PDF download link to the original paper (otherwise only on JSTOR). The latter is especially important, because it includes both the transliterated and translated (English) new texts, with drawings and photos of the tablet, so you can make your own mind up about the contents, rather than relying just on the interpretive summaries.