Previously Unknown Lines to the Epic of Gilgamesh discovered in Stolen Cuneiform Tablet

An Assyriologist at the University of London (UCL) has discovered that a stolen clay tablet inscribed with ancient cuneiform text that was recently acquired by a museum in Iraq, contains 20 previously unknown lines to the epic story of Gilgamesh, the oldest known epic poem and widely regarded as the first great work of literature ever created.  The discovery provides new details about Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, and Enkidu, a wild man created by the gods to rid Gilgamesh of his arrogance, as they travel to the Cedar Forest, home of the gods, to defeat the monstrous giant Humbaba.

Live Science reports that the tablet, which measures 11 cm x 9.5 cm, was purchased in 2011 by the Sulaymaniayh Museum in Slemani, Iraq, from a known smuggler of Mesopotamian antiquities. While such a move is controversial, in that it feeds the black market in antiquities dealing, the museum argues that it is the only way to regain some of the valuable artifacts that have been looted from historical sites in Iraq.