Gilgamesh, Concrete statue in Camperdown, Sydney, Australia
Gilgamesh is a 2.5-metre concrete statue by Assyrian-Australian artist Lewis Batros, unveiled in 2000 on the Camperdown/Darlington Campus of the University of Sydney. The bearded figure wears a long robe with a patterned border and broad belt, his left arm cradling a lion against his chest. It stands between the Old Teachers College Building and the Women's Sports Centre, facing the Charles Perkins Centre, with a bronze plaque nearby.
Artist Lewis Batros created the sculpture to mark the University of Sydney's 150th anniversary, with the official unveiling taking place in October 2000. The work was commissioned for this milestone celebration in the university's history.
The statue was commissioned by the Gilgamesh Cultural Centre on behalf of Australia's Assyrian community, who gave it to the University for its sesquicentenary. A bronze plaque beside it recounts Gilgamesh's quest for immortality and Sir Austen Henry Layard's 19th-century discovery of the epic tablets at Nineveh.
The sculpture sits on the open university grounds and can be visited freely without requiring tickets or special arrangements. The location is clearly marked and the informational plaque on site provides visitors with all essential details about the artwork.
The statue is made of concrete, not bronze, though its surface is dark with greenish weathering. It was presented by the Gilgamesh Cultural Centre on behalf of the Assyrian community to mark the University of Sydney's sesquicentenary, and Dame Leonie Kramer unveiled it on 15 October 2000.
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