What is the oldest book ever written?

 

The oldest book ever written is the Epic of Gilgamesh, a collection of tales from ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) dating back to approximately 2100 BC. This epic poem tells the story of the legendary king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, and his quest for immortality. The original text was written in cuneiform, an early form of writing that involved pressing a stylus into clay tablets.

The epic of Gilgamesh was written in several versions, but the earliest and most complete version was discovered in the ruins of the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal in Nineveh. The book contains a total of 12 tablets, with each tablet consisting of around 300 lines of text. The epic is considered one of the earliest works of world literature, and it has had a profound impact on the development of Western civilization.

The themes of the epic of Gilgamesh are universal and timeless, including mortality, friendship, love, and the search for meaning and purpose in life. The epic also contains various mythological elements, such as the tales of a great flood that is said to have wiped out all of humanity, similar to the story of Noah in the Bible.

Over the centuries, the epic of Gilgamesh has been translated into various languages, including Akkadian, Babylonian, and Greek. Today, the epic remains an important cultural artifact, and it continues to be widely studied and revered for its historical, literary, and religious significance.

In conclusion, the oldest book ever written is the epic of Gilgamesh, a collection of tales from ancient Mesopotamia that dates back to approximately 2100 BC. This epic poem is considered one of the earliest works of world literature, and it continues to be widely studied and revered for its timeless themes and historical significance.