Dedicated to the fifth graders learning
about Mesopotamia and the Sumerians.

This book is historical fiction.

This book was created and published on StoryJumper™

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Girin Nigba liked
a lot of things.

But most of all, Girin Nigba liked...

He liked playing
his instrument the Oud,

he liked watching
his neighbor making
wheels,and he liked
that his name
meant spotless gift.

helping his father farm the land near the city-state Ur.
His father would always tell him the best stories.

He especially enjoyed walking with his father as he plowed the field, and planted
flax, wheat, and potatoes. His dad told him that they were able to grow all their
food because they had an irrigation system. Girin's dad explained that the irrigation
system helped them get water from the Euphrates River, since that was the river
closest to their city-state.

     Another thing Girin liked was that they had many animals. His dad said
     that they owned sheep for their wool, a horse to pull their cart, a cow
     so they could have milk, and two oxen to help them plow. Girin mostly
     just liked to take care of them.

One day while working in the field with his dad, his dad told
Girin the most exciting story of all. His dad called the story
the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh was a Sumerian king, except he was an evil king.
One day a man with wild hair named Enkidu confronted Gilgamesh,
and the two got into a fight. After their fight, they decided to be
friends.Gilgamesh realized he needed to do something different with
his life so he and Enkidu decide to go on a journey to slay a beast.

   After Gilgamesh and Enkidu slayed the beast, and took care of
   other threats to their great city, Gilgamesh decided to go on a
   journey alone. During his journey he realized that he was not a
   kind king, and decided to return to his people and began to treat
   them fairly and kindly for the rest of his reign.

When Girin's dad finished telling Girin this epic tale,
Girin decided that it would be a story that he would tell
his own children also someday while plowing his field.