Bronze Age

See also: Sumerian literature, Akkadian literature, Ancient Egyptian literature, Hittite texts,
Tamil literature

Early Bronze Age: 3rd millennium BCE (approximate dates shown). The earliest written literature
dates from about 2600 BCE (classical Sumerian).[2] The earliest literary author known by name is
Enheduanna, a Sumerian priestess and public figure dating to ca. the 24th century BCE.[3] 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 BCE, but other versions of the book probably date from about the 18th
century BCE.
• 2600 Sumerian texts from Abu Salabikh, including the Instructions of Shuruppak and the Kesh
temple hymn
• 2400 Egyptian Pyramid Texts, including the Cannibal Hymn
• 2400 Sumerian Code of Urukagina[4]
• 2400 Egyptian Palermo stone
• 2350 Egyptian The Maxims of Ptahhotep
• 2270 Sumerian Enheduanna's Hymns
• 2250-2000 Earliest Sumerian stories in the Epic of Gilgamesh[5][6]
• 2100 Sumerian Curse of Agade
• 2100 Sumerian Debate between Bird and Fish
• 2050 Sumerian Code of Ur-Nammu
• 2000 Egyptian Coffin Texts
• 2000 Sumerian Lament for Ur
• 2000 Sumerian Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta
Middle Bronze Age: ca. 2000 to 1600 BCE (approximate dates shown)
• 2000-1900 Egyptian Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor[7]
• 1950 Akkadian Laws of Eshnunna
• 1900 Akkadian Legend of Etana[8]
• 1900 Sumerian Code of Lipit-Ishtar
• 1859-1840 Egyptian The Eloquent Peasant[7]
• 1859-1840 Egyptian Story of Sinuhe (in Hieratic)[7]
• 1859-1840 Egyptian Dispute between a man and his Ba[7]
• 1859-1813 Egyptian Loyalist Teaching[7]
• 1850 Akkadian Kultepe texts
• 1800 Akkadian Enûma Eliš
• 1780 Akkadian Mari letters, including the Epic of Zimri-Lim
• 1754 Akkadian Code of Hammurabi stele
• 1750 Hittite Anitta text
• 1700 Akkadian Atra-Hasis epic
• 1700 Egyptian Westcar Papyrus
• 1700 Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh
 • 1650 Egyptian Ipuwer Papyrus
• 1600 Akkadian Eridu Genesis

Bronze Age
See also: Sumerian literature, Akkadian literature, Ancient Egyptian literature, Hittite texts,
Tamil literature

Early Bronze Age: 3rd millennium BCE (approximate dates shown). The earliest written literature
dates from about 2600 BCE (classical Sumerian).[2] The earliest literary author known by name is
Enheduanna, a Sumerian priestess and public figure dating to ca. the 24th century BCE.[3] 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 BCE, but other versions of the book probably date from about the 18th
century BCE.
• 2600 Sumerian texts from Abu Salabikh, including the Instructions of Shuruppak and the Kesh
temple hymn
• 2400 Egyptian Pyramid Texts, including the Cannibal Hymn
• 2400 Sumerian Code of Urukagina[4]
• 2400 Egyptian Palermo stone
• 2350 Egyptian The Maxims of Ptahhotep
• 2270 Sumerian Enheduanna's Hymns
• 2250-2000 Earliest Sumerian stories in the Epic of Gilgamesh[5][6]
• 2100 Sumerian Curse of Agade
• 2100 Sumerian Debate between Bird and Fish
• 2050 Sumerian Code of Ur-Nammu
• 2000 Egyptian Coffin Texts
• 2000 Sumerian Lament for Ur
• 2000 Sumerian Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta
Middle Bronze Age: ca. 2000 to 1600 BCE (approximate dates shown)
• 2000-1900 Egyptian Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor[7]
• 1950 Akkadian Laws of Eshnunna
• 1900 Akkadian Legend of Etana[8]
• 1900 Sumerian Code of Lipit-Ishtar
• 1859-1840 Egyptian The Eloquent Peasant[7]
• 1859-1840 Egyptian Story of Sinuhe (in Hieratic)[7]
• 1859-1840 Egyptian Dispute between a man and his Ba[7]
• 1859-1813 Egyptian Loyalist Teaching[7]
• 1850 Akkadian Kultepe texts
• 1800 Akkadian Enûma Eliš
• 1780 Akkadian Mari letters, including the Epic of Zimri-Lim
• 1754 Akkadian Code of Hammurabi stele
• 1750 Hittite Anitta text
• 1700 Akkadian Atra-Hasis epic
• 1700 Egyptian Westcar Papyrus
• 1700 Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh
• 1650 Egyptian Ipuwer Papyrus
• 1600 Akkadian Eridu Genesis