Gilgamesh, Live Life to the Fullest! (A Bartender's Advice at the Edge of the World): Clay Tablet retailer With a Passage from the Epic of Gilgamesh

retailer Clay cuneiform tablet modeled on ancient Mesopotamian originals dating from about 3,700-3,800 years ago by an internationally recognized expert using a best approximation of ancient techniques.

This tablet, which is rendered in landscape format, contains the famous "seize the day" advice given to Gilgamesh by Siduri the bartender to deter Gilgamesh, grieving over the death of his friend Enkidu and fearful of his own demise, from attempting to secure eternal life at the edge of the world, which was the mountainous eastern horizon according to Mesopotamian conception. It has the approximate dimensions of 3x2x.5 inches. It reads:

"Gilgamesh, where are you wandering?
The life that you seek, you will not find.
When the gods made humanity,
They gave death to mankind,
and seized life with their own hands.
You, Gilgamesh, may your belly be full!
Rejoice night and day!
Daily produce happiness!
Night and day dance and play!
May your garment be clean!
May your head be washed, may water bathe you!
Gaze at the child who holds your hand!
May your mate take repeated pleasure in you lap!"

This piece can accentuate a variety of home and business settings and is an ideal conversation piece, especially when displayed at the proper angle that brings out the three-dimensional character of cuneiform script (instructions on how to display the tablet are included). I recommend displaying it on a small wooden easel stand 4 x 3 inches (10 cm x 8 cm).

For a gallery of my work and videos of me incising tablets, see me on Instagram (ancienttextmodernscribe), YouTube (ancienttextmodernscribe) and Facebook (Ancient Text, Modern Tablet). For more background, see my blog at www.tumblr.com/blog/ancienttextmoderntablet.