The ancient tale of Gilgamesh gets a modern take

It's one of the oldest recorded stories and now the ancient Mesopotamian poetic epic, "Gilgamesh" - that chronicles the adventures of the semi-legendary king of the same name - has been given a makeover. Simon Armitage is the UK's Poet Laureate and Professor of Poetry at the University of Leeds. His new version of the ancient text is published, this week, in the UK. The Weekend's Paul Henley asked him what it was about this 4000 year old story that so captured him. Paul also spoke to Martin Worthington, professor of Assyriology at the University of Pisa in Italy.

(Photo: A baked clay fragment called the Flood Tablet dating to the 7th century B.C., inscribed in cuneiform in the Akkadian language, presents the account of a great flood in the ancient Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, at the British Museum in London, Britain, September 2, 2022. Picture taken with mobile phone. REUTERS/Will Dunham)