You wanted it so YOU GOT IT! Behold, ‘THE EPIC’ Cuneiform Rolling Pin: The Epic of Gilgamesh. Bring a bit of Babylonia to the holiday table this December and produce the world’s earliest known surviving work of literature on gingerbread! Translation included…
It’s Christmas in Mesopotamia! So let’s bake like a Babylonian and make the internet’s most popular Christmas biscuit with this archaeologically-derived cuneiform gingerbread rolling pin exclusively available through Tavola Mediterranea. THE EPIC is a cuneiform rolling pin that is ‘edible archaeology’ at its finest, giving bakers, archaeologists, and linguists alike, the opportunity to consume archaeology and ancient writing systems in a way they never have before! Why simply study it when you can eat it too? With THE EPIC, not only do you get to read a passage from one of the greatest stories ever told, as it was written in text dated to 1,800 BC, but you can wash it down with a cup of tea once you’re finished!
The Epic of Gilgamesh – Column 5
BUT WHAT DOES IT SAY???
The pin-face of this rolling pin features Column 5 – lines 186-200 from the Epic of Gilgamesh — a Mesopotamian epic poem which is the earliest known surviving work of literature. The image/text is derived from The Yale Tablet of The Epic of Gilgamesh, pictured below, which was sectioned into columns and lines during translation by Morris Jastrow Jr., University of Pennsylvania, and Albert T. Clay, Ph.D, Yale University, in the 1920s.
The lines read:
I am determined to lure (him) in the cedar (forest).
Source: An Old Babylonian Version of the Gilgamesh Epic, by Anonymous, Edited by Morris Jastrow, Translated by Albert T. Clay
A name I will establish.
The elders of Erech of the plazas
brought word to Gish:
“Thou art young, O Gish, and thy heart carries thee away.
Thou dost not know what thou proposest to do.
We hear that Huwawa is enraged.
Who has ever opposed his weapon?
To one [double hour] in the heart of the forest,
Who has ever penetrated into it?
Huwawa, whose roar is a deluge,
whose mouth is fire, whose breath is death.
Why dost thou desire to do this?
To advance towards the dwelling (?) of Huwawa?”
Gish heard the report of his counsellors.
This cuneiform rolling pin measures 20 cm in length and is designed for making a large gingerbread tablet. This rolling pin creates a cuneiform script impression and will roll the impression into the gingerbread dough beautifully, without sticking or pulling the dough up, if you work with the dough chilled and dust a bit of flour on the pin or dough surface prior to rolling. Don’t forget to use the Tavola gingerbread recipe and baking instructions for this pin as the dough is firm and will hold the impressions beautifully during baking. Each rolling pin comes with a complimentary gingerbread recipe card that is derived from the original internet-breaking Cuneiform Gingerbread Tablet recipe that was published on Tavola Mediterranea in 2017.
Looking for more archaeologically based rolling pins? Head on over to the TAVOLA SHOP to see more cuneiform rolling pins and our brand new COVID Curse Tablet rolling pin! Instructions for use and tips for nice, clean impressions are also available on the TAVOLA SHOP page. These pins are flying out the door! Pre-orders are available if current stock sells out and you will be notified by email when your pin has shipped. C’mon, Enkidu, it’ll be totally epic!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!
Peace on Earth… and pass the cuneiform gingerbread!
Buy ‘The Epic’ Cuneiform Rolling Pin: The Epic of Gilgamesh Tablet – Yale Tablet – Column 5 buy selecting your shipping region in the drop-down menu below and pressing ‘Buy Now’.
LOVE this so much! But I will wait to buy it when the impressed version is ready. Ever the purist …