In addition to laws covering theft, false accusation, and temple robbery (all punishable by death), the code set rules for commerce, slavery, inheritance, and professional accountability (for example, #229: "If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to death."

Enkidu confronts Gilgamesh and they fight in the streets of Uruk. The wrestling match ends in a stalemate, since the two are evenly matched. They embrace, become best friends, and Enkidu fulfills his purpose by redirecting Gilgamesh from oppressing his people toward heroic deeds such as battling monsters in the wilderness.

A possibly-related but undeciphered writing system emerged about 5,200 years ago in the region of Susa in what are now the Iranian highlands east of Mesopotamia. Named after the proto-Elamite culture of the region, the script found on over 1,600 clay tablets developed during a period when the region was trading with Uruk. Between 1,000 and 1,500 symbols seem to represent words and syllables in a language that gave way to Elamite about five hundred years later.