60 S. Dalley, Myths from Mesopotamia (Oxford, 1989), p. 325.

61 The Epic of Gilgamesh, N. K. Sandars, trans. (N.Y., 1972) p. 33, hereafter Gilgamesh; For a more recent, literal translation see Dalley, Myths, pp. 50-153.

62 Gilgamesh, p. 71. For Armenian parallels to Humbaba see note 49 above. On the translation of erenu as "pine" rather than "cedar" see Dalley, Myths,

p. 126 n. 20.

63 Gilgamesh, p. 77.

64 Gilgamesh, pp. 77-79.

65 Gilgamesh, pp. 83-84. The cut timber was sent down river to Mesopotamia by raft, Dalley, Myths, pp. 76-77, 84-85.

66 Gilgamesh, p. 83.

67 Gilgamesh, pp. 79-80.

68 Gilgamesh, p. 87. Ishtar tries to bribe Gilgamesh with a chariot of lapis lazuli and gold, driven by dragons, Dalley, Myths, p. 77. For other references to horse and chariot in this myth see ibid. pp. 78, 79, p. 129 n. 52. For references to metals and metallurgists, ibid. pp. 82, 93, 144.

69 Gilgamesh, p. 98.

70 Gilgamesh, p. 100.

71 Gilgamesh, p. 108.

72 Gilgamesh, p. 113.

73 Vahan Inglizian, Hayastan surb grk'i mej[Armenia in the Bible] (Vienna, 1947; Armenian trans. of his German doctoral dissertation) pp. 106-121; Dalley, Myths, pp. 1-8, 39-49.

74 Inglizian, pp. 122-24. The magical tunnel is identified with a rock tunnel two miles long which extends from Bylkalein to the main source of the Tigris river. C. F. Lehmann-Haupt, Armenien Einst und Jetzt I (Berlin, 1910), Chapter 14, "Der Tigris Tunnel".

75 Inglizian, pp. 132-33.

76 Inglizian, p. 117.

77 T. Howard-Carter, "The Tangible Evidence for the Earliest Dilmun", Journal of Cuneiform Studies vol. 33/3-4 (1981) pp. 210-223. Kramer, Sumerians p. 281, who placed Dilmun in India observed that Dilmun's description as "the place where the sun rises" hardly fits Bahrain, which is south of Sumer. The passages of the Gilgamesh cited above also have certain connections to the Odyssey. Somewhere en route to Utnapishtim, Gilgamesh meets a Circe-like woman called Siduri ("barmaid") who urges Gilgamesh to turn back and to reconcile himself with his lot of mortality by drinking wine and enjoying life. Unable to dissuade him, this woman, like Circe, gives the hero instructions on traveling to the other world.

Press the Backspace key to return to text of article