The Epic of Gilgamesh

The ancient Mesopotamian epic — the oldest surviving substantial literary work — following the demigod king Gilgamesh and his companion Enkidu through friendship, death, and the search for immortality — the first great meditation on mortality.

Creates the oldest surviving epic — The Epic of Gilgamesh establishes every fundamental epic and literary theme (heroic friendship, hubris and nemesis, quest for immortality, the meaning of death, the civilized vs. the wild) 4,000 years before Shakespeare; the Flood narrative predates Noah by centuries.