The Library of Ashurbanipal contained the world's oldest surviving epic poem
King Ashurbanipal’s massive seventh-century BCE library in Nineveh preserved the Epic of Gilgamesh, a masterpiece of ancient storytelling that predates Homer’s works by hundreds of years.
Archaeologists excavating the ruins of Nineveh in the mid-1800s discovered over 30,000 cuneiform tablets belonging to the Neo-Assyrian King Ashurbanipal. Among these clay records was the most complete version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, which explores timeless themes of friendship and the quest for immortality.
There's more to this story — open the app to keep reading.
Continue Reading in App
1 more paragraphs · plus a 3-question quiz