Symmetry and Repetition in Akkadian Narrative

sight into the process of creation and transmission of Akkadian literature lies in the close comparison of corresponding passages of Old Babylonian and later versions of the same composition. Despite the fragmentary nature of the various recensions of a given text, it is often possible to compare corresponding passages of considerable length. This has rarely been done, except in very general terms.2 Usually, the later versions are expanded,3 and the tendency toward symmetry and repetition, techniques already prominent in the earlier texts, is more pronounced. In a contribution to the Finkelstein Memorial Volume, an attempt has been made to show that in the Gilgamesh Epic such tendencies can dilute the narrative development of a composition, and even rob it