Sumerian literature

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History of Literature
Bronze Age literature: Sumerian Egyptian Assyro-Babylonian
Classical literatures: Chinese Greek Latin Pahlavi Pali Sanskrit Syriac Tamil
Medieval literature Anglo-Saxon Arabic Byzantine French German Hebrew Indian Irish Italian Japanese Kannada Nepal Bhasa Norse Persian Welsh
Early Modern literature Renaissance literature Baroque literature
Modern literature 18th century 19th century 20th century

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Sumerian literature is the oldest literature in the world. The Sumerians invented the first writing system, beginning with cuneiform logograms, which evolved into a syllabary writing system. The Sumerian language remained in official and literary use in the Akkadian and Babylonian empires, even after the spoken language disappeared from the population; literacy was widespread, and the sumerian texts that students copied heavily influence later Babylonian literature.

Sumerian literature has not been handed down to us directly, rather it has been rediscovered through archaeology. Nevertheless, the Akkadians and Babylonians borrowed much from the Sumerian literary heritage, and spread these traditions throughout the middle east, influencing much of the literature that followed in this region, including the Bible.

[edit] Literary Works

Important works include:

A Creation and Flood Myth (translation)
Two Enmerkar legends:
- Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta (translation)
- Enmerkar and En-suhgir-ana (translation)
Two tales of Lugalbanda during Enmerkar's campaign against Aratta:
- Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave (translation)
- Lugalbanda and the Anzud Bird (translation)
Five stories in the Gilgamesh epic cycle:
- Gilgamesh and Huwawa (version A, version B)
- Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven (translation)
- Gilgamesh and Aga (translation)
- Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the Netherworld (translation)
- The Death of Gilgamesh (translation)