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The Statue of Gilgamesh (The University of Sydney, Camperdown)
[edit]When looking at the statue of Gilgamesh and its surroundings it is obvious that that particular figure holds great significance towards the university and does have an underlying meaning.
Gilgamesh is derived from an epic (The Epic of Gilgamesh) which most famously describes his journey to find immortality however this journey is rather also a valuable quest of self-reflection. So if we link to the context of university we can denote that Gilgamesh is a symbolism for student to find themselves, discover who they are or what they want to do in life.
Being a demigod Gilgamesh had immense strength that would easily overpower human, hence he viewed humans as lesser beings and was full of arrogance however he was nevertheless still a mortal. Hence when he came to realise that the only thing which he could not defeat was death itself triggered his journey for immortality. This epic teaches us the idea of what it means to be human, how it is to suffer from sickness, hunger and age. Which may encourage students who learn about this story, to pursue much in life and never give up on chances, it also stresses the limitation human life offers therefore living life to the fullest may also be an intended message.
The lion is the symbolism for strength as Gilgamesh was famous for taming a lion, this encourages students to be strong and endure the hardships that are thrusted upon us. The juxtaposition of having a powerful and masculine figure in such a quiet area of the university brings about a sense of tranquility, the fact that it is next to Western Ave however may cause people who drive past/walk past to wonder why such a statue has been placed there. This i believe could be either because it is next to a sports area or also that it also serves the purpose of conveying to students/visitors the image of 'prestige' and 'importance' therefore enhancing the overall image of the university.
How the statue actually came to be (which is described on plaque 1) is that is was a gift from the Assyrian community back in 2000, there fore is proudly stands there as a symbolism of the bond and respect the university and the Assyrian community have.
References: http://www.ancient.eu/article/192/