Carchemish. Master of Animals (Gilgamesh) grasps the hind leg of a lionin one hand, the horn of a bull in the other, and is accompanied by a deer and two other beasts. 950-850 BC. Detail.

Gilgamesh (Enc. Britt.): the best known of all ancient Mesopotamian heroes. Numerous tales in the Akkadian language have been told about Gilgamesh, and the whole collection has been described as an odyssey—the odyssey of a king who did not want to die.