 In the Epic of Gilgamesh, composed in ancient Samar, which today is now known as Iraq, nearly 4,000 years ago, a wrestling contest between Gilgamesh, the king of the large city of Uruk, and a forest giant named Enkidu is an important feature of the saga. In the Bible, as described in Genesis, the Hebrew patriarch Jacob wrestles with the angel of the Lord. After a struggle that lasted all through the night, the angel gave Jacob a new name, Israel.