Stories have been told throughout the history of humanity. But the first to be recorded in writing dates back to c. 2150-1400 BCE. It’s an ancient poem from Mesopotamia, written in Sumerian/Babylonian cuneiform script, the world’s oldest known form of writing. The best known version of the text is 12 clay tablets written in Akkadian, discovered in the ruins of the library of Assyrian king Ashurbanipal in Nineveh. So what is this oldest piece of literature titled?

Epic of Gilgamesh. 

It tells the tale of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, and his quest for the meaning of life. “Forget death and seek life!” the protagonist concludes. Even if we do not live forever, we can still impact others in profound ways throughout time. The tablets themselves are proof. Motifs including the power of love, man and gods, nature vs. civilization, heroism, and confronting mortality continue to be relevant 4,000 years later in modern literature. 

Today, the Epic of Gilgamesh is available on a digital tablet and e-readers.