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  1. Mental Floss
    https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/oldest-literature

    10 of the Oldest Pieces of Literature - Mental Floss

    • Though it’s not the oldest written text, The Epic of Gilgamesh is, by all accounts, the most ancient piece of literature in the world (yet discovered, anyway) [PDF]. Its roots are in older Sumerian st… See more

    The Tale of The Shipwrecked Sailor // Nearly 4000 Years Old

    The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor, written on papyrus sometime during 2000–1900 BCE, “is the oldest surviving ancient Egyptian story,” James P. Allen writes in Middle Egy… See more

    Mental Floss
    The Book of Job // 2500 to 4000 Years Old

    The Book of Job’s date of composition is a controversial issue: Some argue that the Hebrew (with its hints of Aramaic) places its time of writing as post-Babylonian era (after around 54… See more

    Mental Floss
    Hammurabi’s Code // 3700 Years Old

    Written toward the end of the reign of Hammurabi (1792–1750 BCE), Hammurabi’s Code was etched in Akkadian on several black stone steles, of which one survives ne… See more

    Mental Floss
    The Book of The Dead // 3500 Years Old

    The Book of the Dead, or The Book of Coming Forth by Day, is one of the most iconic pieces of ancient Egyptian writing. The compilation of around200 papyrus sheets of te… See more

    Mental Floss
    What is the oldest written work in Western literature?
    The Epic of Gilgamesh (written c.2150-1400 BC) is the oldest piece of epic western literature. Many scholars argue that the earliest written works in Western Literature were fundamentally written to be spoken orally, from the Homeric Epics.
    hankeringforhistory.com
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    Table of Contents
    The Tale of The Shipwrecked Sailor // Nearly 4000 Years Old
    The Book of Job // 2500 to 4000 Years Old
    Hammurabi’s Code // 3700 Years Old
    The Book of The Dead // 3500 Years Old
    What is the oldest written work in Western literature?
     
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  1. The Epic of Gilgamesh
    • According to 2 sources
    The Epic of Gilgamesh is widely regarded as one of the oldest surviving works of literature, dating back over 4,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq).

    The Epic of Gilgamesh: Th…

    thearchaeologist.org
    The earliest surviving written literature is from ancient Mesopotamia. The Epic of Gilgamesh is often cited as the first great composition, although some shorter compositions have survived that are even earlier (notably the “Kesh Temple Hymn” and “The Instructions of Shuruppak”).

    What Was the First Book E…

    britannica.com
     
  2. People also ask
    What is the oldest writing in the world?
    While there are many claims that older tablets from various places around the world represent the oldest writing, the Kish tablet is widely regarded as the oldest writing in the world that has been confirmed. The tablet was found in Iraq at the site of the ancient Sumerian city of Kish and has been dated to around 3500 BCE.

    7 Oldest Known Writing in the World

    oldest.org
    What is the oldest work of literature in the world?
    The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest work of literature in the world dated to c. 2100 BCE. The Instructions of Shuruppag is the oldest philosophical work in the world and possibly the oldest written work dated to c. 2600 or 2000 BCE.

    Mesopotamian Literature - World History Encyclopedia

    worldhistory.org
    What is the oldest written work in Western literature?
    The Epic of Gilgamesh (written c.2150-1400 BC) is the oldest piece of epic western literature. Many scholars argue that the earliest written works in Western Literature were fundamentally written to be spoken orally, from the Homeric Epics.

    Epic Poems: The Earliest Written Works In Western Literature

    hankeringforhistory.com
    What is the oldest epic poem in Western literature?
    The Epic of Gilgamesh (written c.2150-1400 BC) is considered the oldest epic poem in Western literature. From the Homeric Epics to this ancient piece, virtually all Classical Western epics are presented in this poetic form, including Dante’s Divine Comedy and John Milton’s Paradise Lost. So why were the earliest written works in Western Literature all epic poems?

    Epic Poems: The Earliest Written Works In Western Literature

    hankeringforhistory.com
    What is the earliest written literature?
    The earliest surviving written literature is from ancient Mesopotamia. The Epic of Gilgamesh is often cited as the first great composition, although some shorter compositions have survived that are even earlier (notably the “Kesh Temple Hymn” and “The Instructions of Shuruppak”).

    What Was the First Book Ever Written? | Britannica

    britannica.com
    Who is the oldest poet in the world?
    The oldest poem in the world is The Epic of Gilgamesh from Mesopotamia. Who is the first poet known by name in the world? The first poet in the world known by name is Enheduanna of the Akkadian Empire, Mesopotamia. Who is the most popular poet in the world today? The Persian poet Rumi is the most popular poet in the world today.

    Great Ancient & Medieval Poetry - World History Encyclopedia

    worldhistory.org
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  3. Open Culture
    https://www.openculture.com/2021/07/t…

    The Epic of Gilgamesh, the Oldest-Known Work of …

    You're probably familiar with The Epic of Gilgamesh, the story of an overbearing Sumerian king and demi-god who meets his match in wild man Enkidu. Gilgamesh is humbled, the two become best friends, kill the forest guardian …

     
  4. Oldest.org
    https://www.oldest.org/artliterature/oldest-literature-ever-written

    10 Oldest Literature Ever Written

  5. Wikipedia
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_documents

    List of oldest documents - Wikipedia

  6. The Archaeologist
    https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/the-epic-of...

    The Epic of Gilgamesh: The World's Oldest Known Literature

  7. History
    https://www.history.com/news/what-is-t…

    What is the Oldest Known Piece of Literature?

    Dec 18, 2015 · While Shuruppak’s fatherly wisdom is one of the most ancient examples of written literature, history’s oldest known fictional story is probably the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” a mythic poem that first...

  8. World History Encyclopedia
    https://www.worldhistory.org/gilg

    Gilgamesh - World History Encyclopedia

    Dec 15, 2022 · Gilgamesh is the semi-mythic King of Uruk best known as the hero of The Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 2150-1400 BCE) the great Babylonian poem that predates Homer's Iliad and Odyssey by 1500 years and, therefore, stands as …

  9. Yale University Press
    https://yalebooks.yale.edu/2020/04/30/…

    The Epic of Gilgamesh - Yale University Press

    Apr 30, 2020 · The oldest surviving literary work is The Epic of Gilgamesh. It was composed nearly 4,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia (roughly equivalent to where Iraq and eastern Syria are now). No one knows who wrote it, or why, or …

  10. Wikipedia
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_literature

    Ancient literature - Wikipedia

  11. World History Edu
    https://worldhistoryedu.com/epic-of-gilg…

    Epic of Gilgamesh: When was the story first recorded, …

    Jun 14, 2024 · The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest known pieces of literature, originating from ancient Mesopotamia and dating back to the early 3rd millennium BC. The epic is written in Akkadian, the language of the …

  12. Britannica
    https://www.britannica.com/story/what …

    What Was the First Book Ever Written? | Britannica

    The earliest surviving written literature is from ancient Mesopotamia. The Epic of Gilgamesh is often cited as the first great composition, although some shorter compositions have survived that are even earlier (notably the “Kesh Temple …

  13. Listverse
    https://listverse.com/2015/04/30/10-of-the-most...

    10 Of The Most Ancient Pieces Of Literature We’ve Found

  14. Oldest.org
    https://www.oldest.org/artliterature/writing

    7 Oldest Known Writing in the World

  15. Britannica
    https://www.britannica.com/topic/Beowulf

    Beowulf | Summary, Poem, Characters, Monster, Analysis,

  16. IFLScience
    https://www.iflscience.com/what-is-the-oldest...

    What Is The Oldest Written Text That Has Ever Been Found?

  17. World History Encyclopedia
    https://www.worldhistory.org/collection/227

    Great Ancient & Medieval Poetry - World History Encyclopedia

  18. Hankering for History
    https://hankeringforhistory.com/epic-poems-the...

    Epic Poems: The Earliest Written Works In Western Literature

  19. Owlcation
    https://owlcation.com/humanities/What-is-the...

    What Is the Oldest Story Ever Written? - Owlcation

  20. World History Encyclopedia
    https://www.worldhistory.org/Mesopotamian_Literature

    Mesopotamian Literature - World History Encyclopedia

  21. Smarthistory
    https://smarthistory.org/cuneiform

    Smarthistory – Cuneiform, an introduction