Epic of Gilgamesh: The Ancient Poem Explained

Rarely does a name survive as many millennia as Gilgamesh has. World-renowned men of letters such as Carl Gustav Jung and Rainer Maria Rilke spoke nothing but the highest praise for the ancient Babylonian epic about the popular and much beloved Sumerian king.
Numerous works of literature have been either directly inspired by or openly mimic this epic, all from writers who have nothing but the utmost respect for this treasure written in cuneiform.
One has to wonder, how come something so old, so detached from this crazy modern world became so beloved, something which hundreds of researchers and creators worldwide would end up not just liking but being enamored with?