A Reason for War?

War seems to be a common part of the ancient Mesopotamian lifestyle. In all of the works we have gone through, the kings always felt the need to deal with the kingdoms problem in a physically violent manner. People regard violence or war as an easy solution to trivial events.

In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu did not like Gilgamesh or how he treats the kingdom’s common subjects, specifically betrothed women. Enkidu decides to teach the King a lesson and take Gilgamesh’s title. He does this by starting a brawl between them. Unfortunately, his strength cannot match that of Gilgamesh’s and his attempt is unsuccessful. That is probably the best reason to fight out of all the works our class has read.

In Rituals of War, omens are a common reason to go to war. Nature’s way of working is interpreted as reason enough to take on other cities. For example, an eclipse is significant and the king understands it to symbolize an upcoming time of war. While there is no evidence of an eclipse or omen foreshadowing any kind of violent activity, it is thought provoking that people interpret it that way.

Of course this violence seems necessary since at that time, kingdoms were ruled through monarchy. Democracy is nonexistent at this time: therefore people resort to combat. Still, it is interesting to note how little of the time individuals tried to sort out their differences through communication and negotiation.