Ancient literature
literature produced in ancient times
Ancient literature comprises religious and scientific documents, tales, poetry and plays, royal edicts and declarations, and other forms of writing that were recorded on a variety of media, including stone, clay tablets, papyri, palm leaves, and metal.
Before the spread of writing, oral literature did not always survive well, but some texts and fragments have persisted.
An unknown number of written works have not survived the ravages of time and are therefore lost.
Incomplete list of ancient texts
Bronze Age
Early Bronze Age
3rd millennium BC (approximate dates shown). The earliest written literature dates from about 2600 BC (classical Sumerian). Certain literary texts are difficult to date, such as the Egyptian Book of the Dead, which was recorded in the Papyrus of Ani around 1240 BC, but other versions of the book probably date from about the 18th century BC.
2600 BC: Sumerian texts from Abu Salabikh, including the Instructions of Shuruppak and the Kesh temple hymn
2600 BC: Egyptian The Life of Metjen from Saqqara
2500 BC: Egyptian Diary of Merer and Instruction of Hardjedef
2500 BC: Sumerian Hymn to Enlil, Enlil and Ninlil, and Debate between sheep and grain
2400 BC: Sumerian Code of Urukagina
2400 BC – 2300 BC: Egyptian Pyramid Texts, including the Cannibal Hymn
2375 BC: Egyptian The Maxims of Ptahhotep
2283 BC: Egyptian Palermo Stone
2270 BC: Sumerian Enheduanna's Hymns
2250 BC: Egyptian Autobiography of Weni and South Saqqara Stone
2250 BC – 2000 BC: Earliest Sumerian stories in the Epic of Gilgamesh
2200 BC: Egyptian Autobiography of Harkhuf
2125 BC: Sumerian Building of Ningirsu's Temple
2100 BC: Sumerian Curse of Agade, Debate between bird and fish, Inanna's Descent into the Underworld, Self-praise of Shulgi, Code of Ur-Nammu, and Song of the hoe
2084 BC: Sumerian Sumerian King List
2050 BC: Egyptian The Satire of the Trades
Middle Bronze Age
2000 BC to 1601 BC (approximate dates shown)
2000 BC: Egyptian Coffin Texts and Teaching for King Merykara
2000 BC: Sumerian Lament for Ur, Lament for Sumer and Ur, Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, and Debate between Winter and Summer
2000 BC – 1900 BC: Egyptian Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor, Prophecy of Neferti, and the first of the Harper's Songs
1950 BC: Akkadian Laws of Eshnunna and Hymn to Ištar
1950 BC: Egyptian Instructions of Amenemhat, the Akhmim wooden tablets, and the Heqanakht papyri
1940 BC: Sumerian Correspondence of the Kings of Ur
1900 BC: Akkadian Legend of Etana, Summa izbu, Šumma ālu, Namburbi, and Iškar Zaqīqu
1900 BC: Sumerian Code of Lipit-Ishtar and The Legend of Adapa
1900 BC: Egyptian Instructions of Kagemni
1859 BC – 1840 BC: Egyptian Dispute between a man and his Ba
1859 BC – 1813 BC: Egyptian Loyalist Teaching
1850 BC: Egyptian The Eloquent Peasant
1850 BC: Akkadian Kultepe texts, Bārûtu, the Counsels of Wisdom, the Cuthean Legend of Naram-Sin, and the Labbu Myth
1800 BC: Akkadian earliest complete version of the Epic of Gilgamesh
1800 BC: Egyptian Berlin Papyrus 6619, Moscow Mathematical Papyrus, and Story of Sinuhe (in Hieratic)
1780 BC: Akkadian Mari letters, including the Epic of Zimri-Lim
1754 BC: Akkadian Code of Hammurabi stele
1750 BC: Akkadian Agushaya Hymn
Late 18th century BC: Hittite Anitta text
1700 BC: Akkadian Atra-Hasis
1700 BC: Egyptian Westcar Papyrus
1650 BC: Egyptian Ipuwer Papyrus
1650 BC: Sumerian Dialogue between a Man and His God
Late Bronze Age
1600 BC to 1201 BC (approximate dates shown)
1600 BC: Hittite Code of the Nesilim
1600 BC: Akkadian Ḫulbazizi, Eridu Genesis and Enuma Anu Enlil
1600 BC: Egyptian Edwin Smith Papyrus
1550 BC: Egyptian Book of the Dead, Instruction of Any, King Neferkare and General Sasenet, the Tale of the Doomed Prince, the Litany of Re, Rhind Mathematical Papyrus, and the Ebers Papyrus
1550 BC: Akkadian Bullussa-rabi's Hymn to Gula
1550 BC: Babylonian Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa
1500 BC: Akkadian Poor Man of Nippur
1500 BC: Hittite military oath
1500 BC – 1300 BC: Ugaritic Baal Cycle
1500 BC – 1200 BC: Ugaritic Legend of Keret
1500 BC – 1000 BC: Sanskrit Rig Veda
1500 BC: Akkadian Dynasty of Dunnum and Chronicle of Early Kings
1450 BC: Egyptian The Taking of Joppa
1450 BC: Akkadian Assyrian law
1425 BC: Egyptian Amduat
1400 BC: Akkadian Marriage of Nergal and Ereshkigal, Autobiography of Kurigalzu, and Amarna letters
Mid 14th century BC: Egyptian Great Hymn to the Aten
1350 BC: Ugaritic Tale of Aqhat
1350 BC: Akkadian Šurpu
1300 BC: Egyptian Instruction of Amenemope, Papyrus Anastasi I
1300 BC: Akkadian Ludlul bēl nēmeqi, the Dream of Kurigalzu, The Hemerology for Nazi-Maruttaš, Iqqur Ipuš, and Summa izbu
1274 BC: Akkadian Adad-nārāri Epic
1240 BC: Egyptian Papyrus of Ani, Book of the Dead
1200 BC – 900 BC: Akkadian version and younger stories in the Epic of Gilgamesh
1200 BC: Akkadian Tukulti-Ninurta Epic
1200 BC: Egyptian Tale of Two Brothers
Iron Age
Iron Age texts predating Classical Antiquity: 12th to 8th centuries BC
1200 BC: The Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda
1100 BC: Akkadian Šumma sinništu qaqqada rabāt
1050 BC: Egyptian Story of Wenamun
1050 BC: Akkadian Sakikkū (SA.GIG) "Diagnostic Omens" by Esagil-kin-apli.
1050 BC: Akkadian Alamdimmû
1050 BC: The Babylonian Theodicy of Šaggil-kīnam-ubbib.
1010 BC: Akkadian Royal Inscription of Simbar-Šipak
1000 BC: Chinese Classic of Poetry (Shījīng)
1000 BC: Akkadian Dialogue of Pessimism, Chronicle P, Maglû, Bīt rimki, Zu-buru-dabbeda, Advice to a Prince, Asakkū marsūtu, the Great Prayer to Šamaš, the MUL.APIN, the Sag-gig-ga-meš, and Šēp lemutti
900 BC: Akkadian Epic of Erra
900 BC: Vedic Sanskrit Aranyaka
Classical antiquity
9th century BC
Chinese:
Classic of Changes (I Ching)
Akkadian:
Ninurta-Pāqidāt's Dog Bite
Enûma Eliš
8th century BC
Greek:
Trojan War cycle, including the Iliad and the Odyssey
Sanskrit:
Brahmanas
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Isha Upanishad
Chandogya Upanishad
Aitareya Upanishad
Taittiriya Upanishad
Akkadian:
Chronicle of the Market Prices
Hymn to Ninurta as Savior
Mîs-pî
7th century BC
Vedic Sanskrit:
Shulba Sutra (containing geometry related to fire-altar construction)
Manava Sulbasutra
Baudhayana sutra
Shatapatha Brahmana – Commentary on the Vedas
Nirukta (technical treatise on etymology, lexical category and the semantics of Sanskrit words)
Kausitaka Upanishad
Greek:
Hesiod: Theogony and Works and Days
Archilochus
Alcman
Semonides of Amorgos
Solon
Mimnermus
Stesichorus
Paleo-Hebrew alphabet:
Ketef Hinnom amulets, the oldest found Biblical text (amulets with the Priestly Blessing, which are recorded in the Book of Numbers)
Chinese:
Classic of Documents (Shūjīng) (authentic portions)
Akkadian:
Dynastic Chronicle
Eclectic Chronicle
Marduk Prophecy
6th century BC
Sanskrit:
Sushruta: Sushruta Samhita (Book on Surgery and Medicine)
Kapila: Samkhya-sutra, Kapilanyayabhasa, Kapila Gita, Dṛṣṭantara Yoga
Kanada: Vaiśeṣika Sūtra (Book on Atomism)
Kashyapa Samhhita (Book on Medicine)
Pratishakhyas
Greek:
Sappho
Ibycus
Alcaeus of Mytilene
Aesop's Fables
Akkadian:
The Autobiography of Adad-guppi
Abnu šikinšu
Nabonidus Chronicle
Verse Account of Nabonidus
Cyrus Cylinder
5th century BC
Sanskrit:
Pāṇini:Aṣṭādhyāyī
Kenopanishad
Apastamba Dharmasutra, Apastambha Smriti
Avestan: Yasht
Chinese:
Spring and Autumn Annals (Chūnqiū) (722–481 BC, chronicles of the state of Lu)
Confucius: Analects (Lúnyǔ)
Classic of Rites (Lǐjì)
Commentaries of Zuo (Zuǒ Zhuàn)
Mozi: Mozi
Sun Tzu: The Art of War (Sūnzǐ Bīngfǎ)
Guoyu: Discourses of the States
Yanzi Chunqiu: Annals of Master Yan
Wenzi: Book of Master Wen
Greek:
Pindar: odes
Herodotus: The Histories of Herodotus
Thucydides: History of the Peloponnesian War
Aeschylus: The Suppliants, The Persians, Seven Against Thebes, Oresteia
Sophocles: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone, Electra and other plays
Euripides: Alcestis, Medea, Heracleidae, Hippolytus, Andromache, Hecuba, The Suppliants, Electra, Heracles, Trojan Women, Iphigeneia in Tauris, Ion, Helen, Phoenician Women, Orestes, Bacchae, Iphigeneia at Aulis, Cyclops, Rhesus
Aristophanes: The Acharnians, The Knights, The Clouds, The Wasps, Peace, The Birds, Lysistrata, Thesmophoriazusae, The Frogs, Ecclesiazousae, Plutus
Hebrew: date of the extant text of the Torah
4th century BC
Sanskrit:
Katha Upanishad
Prashnopanishad
Mundaka Upanishad
Māṇḍūkya Upanishad
Bhadrabahu: Kalpa Sūtra
Chanakya: Arthashastra, Chanakya Neeti
Salihotra: Shalihotra Samhita (treatise on veterinary medicine)
Vyasa: Mahabharata, Puranas, Brahma Sutras
Jaimini: Mimamsa Sutras, Jaimini Sutras, Ashvamedhika Parva
Valmiki: Ramayana
Bhāsa: Svapnavasavadattam, Pancarātra, Pratijna Yaugandharayaanam, Pratimanātaka, Abhishekanātaka, Bālacharita, Karnabhāram, Dūtaghaṭotkaca, Chārudatta, Madhyamavyayoga and Urubhanga.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Ancient literature” as literature produced in ancient times. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q541923. The Library of Congress control number is sh85077533. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1240, 2000, 2084 and 2050.
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