List of ancient textsBronze Age

See also: Sumerian literature, Akkadian literature, Ancient Egyptian literature, Hittite texts, Vedic Sanskrit

Early Bronze Age: 3rd millennium BC (approximate dates shown) The earliest written literature dates from about 2600 BC (classical Sumerian).[1] The earliest literary author known by name is Enheduanna, dating to ca. the 24th century BC. 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 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 [2] 2400 Egyptian Palermo stone 2350 Egyptian The Maxims of Ptahhotep 2270 Sumerian Enheduanna's Hymns 2250-2000 Sumerian Earliest stories in the Epic of Gilgamesh [3][4] 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 BC (approximate dates shown)

1950 Akkadian Laws of Eshnunna 1900 Akkadian Legend of Etana [5] 1900 Sumerian Code of Lipit-Ishtar 1900 Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh 1850 Akkadian Kultepe texts 1800 Egyptian Story of Sinuhe (in Hieratic) 1800 Sumerian Eridu Genesis 1800 Akkadian Enma Eli? 1800 Akkadian Atra-Hasis epic 1780 Akkadian Code of Hammurabi stele 1780 Akkadian Mari letters, including the Epic of Zimri-Lim 1750 Hittite Anitta text 1700 Egyptian Westcar Papyrus 1650 Egyptian Ipuwer Papyrus

Late Bronze Age: ca. 1600 to 1200 BC (approximate dates shown)

1700-1100 Vedic Sanskrit: approximate date of the composition of the Rigveda. Many of these were not set to writing until later.[6] 1600 Hittite Code of the Nesilim 1500 Akkadian Poor Man of Nippur [7] 1500 Hittite military oath 1550 Egyptian Book of the Dead 1500 Akkadian Dynasty of Dunnum[8] 1440-1400 Hebrew Torah, also called the Pentateuch or Five Books of Moses[9][10][11][12][13] with a final redaction between 900-450 BC.[14][15] Some give an alternate date of 1320-1280.[16] 1400 Akkadian Marriage of Nergal and Ereshkigal 1400 Akkadian Autobiography of Kurigalzu 1400 Akkadian Amarna letters

1330 Egyptian Great Hymn to the Aten 1240 Egyptian Papyrus of Ani, Book of the Dead 1200-900 Akkadian version and younger stories in the Epic of Gilgamesh[3] 1200 Akkadian Tukulti-Ninurta Epic 1200 Egyptian Tale of Two Brothers [17]

Iron Age

See also Sanskrit literature, Chinese literature

Iron Age texts predating Classical Antiquity: 12th to 8th centuries BC

1200-1100 BC approximate date of books RV 1 and RV 10 in the Rigveda 1200-800 BC approximate date of the Vedic Sanskrit Yajurveda, Atharvaveda 1100-800 BC date of the redaction of the extant text of the Rigveda 1050 BC Egyptian Story of Wenamun 1050 BC Akkadian Sakikk? (SA.GIG) "Diagnostic Omens" by Esagil-kin-apli.[18] 1050 BC The Babylonian Theodicy of ?aggil-k?nam-ubbib.[18] 1000-600 BC Chinese Classic of Poetry (Sh?j?ng), Classic of Documents (Sh?j?ng) (authentic portions), Classic of Changes (I Ching) 950 BC date of the Jahwist portions of the Torah according to the documentary hypothesis 900 BC Akkadian Epic of Erra 850 BC date of the Elohist portions of the Torah according to the documentary hypothesis

Classical Antiquity

See also Ancient Greek literature, Syriac literature, Latin literature, Indian literature, Hebrew literature, Avesta See also: centuries in poetry: 7th, 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st

8th century BC

Greek Trojan War cycle, including the Iliad and the Odyssey 800-500 BC: Sanskrit Brahmanas Oldest non-Pentateuchal books of the Hebrew Bible (the Book of Nahum, Book of Hosea, Book of Amos, Book of Isaiah)

7th century BC

Greek: Hesiod: The Theogony and Works and Days Archilochus Alcman Semonides of Amorgos Solon Mimnermus Stesichorus

6th century BC

Hebrew Bible: Psalms[citation needed] (according to late dating) Book of Ezekiel, Book of Daniel (according to conservative or early dating) Chinese: Sun Tzu: The Art of War (S?nz? B?ngf?) Sanskrit: Sutra literature some Mukhya Upanishads (Katha Upanishad, Maitrayaniya Upanishad) Greek: Sappho

Ibycus Alcaeus of Mytilene Aesop's Fables

5th century BC

5th century BC to 4th century AD: Sanskrit: Epics (Mahabharata and Ramayana) Avestan: Yasht Chinese: Spring and Autumn Annals (Ch?nqi?) (722-481 BC, chronicles of the state of Lu) Confucius: Analects (Lny?) Classic of Rites (L?j) Commentaries of Zuo (Zu?zhun) 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 the King, 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

Hebrew: Book of Job, beginning of Hebrew wisdom literature Chinese: Laozi (or Lao Tzu): Tao Te Ching Zhuangzi: Zhuangzi (book) Mencius: Mencius Greek: Xenophon: Anabasis, Cyropaedia Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics, Metaphysics Plato: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Theaetetus, Parmenides, Symposium, Phaedrus, Protagoras, Gorgias, Meno, Menexenus, Republic, Timaeus Euclid: Elements Menander: Dyskolos Theophrastus: Enquiry into Plants

3rd century BC

Avestan: Avesta Etruscan: Liber Linteus Zagrabiensis (Linen Book of Zagreb) Sanskrit: Panchatantra by Vishnu Sarma Tamil: 3rd century BC to 3rd century AD: Sangam poems Tolk?ppiyam (grammar book) Hebrew: Ecclesiastes Greek: Apollonius of Rhodes: Argonautica Callimachus (310/305-240 B.C.), lyric poet Manetho: Aegyptiaca Theocritus, lyric poet Latin: Lucius Livius Andronicus (c. 280/260 BC -- c. 200 BC), translator, found

er of Roman drama Gnaeus Naevius (ca. 264 -- 201 BC), dramatist, epic poet Titus Maccius Plautus (c. 254 -- 184 BC), dramatist, composer of comedies: Poenulus, Miles Gloriosus, and other plays Quintus Fabius Pictor (3rd century BC), historian Lucius Cincius Alimentus (3rd century BC), military historian and antiquarian

2nd century BC

Avestan: Vendidad Chinese: Sima Qian: Records of the Grand Historian (Sh?j) Aramaic: Book of Daniel Hebrew: Sirach Greek Polybius: The Histories Book of Wisdom Septuagint Latin: Terence (195/185 BC -- 159 BC), comic dramatist: The Brothers, The Girl from Andros, Eunuchus, The Self-Tormentor, Quintus Ennius (239 BC -- c. 169 BC), poet Marcus Pacuvius (ca. 220 BC -- 130 BC), tragic dramatist, poet Statius Caecilius (220 BC -- 168/166 BC), comic dramatist Marcius Porcius Cato (234 BC -- 149 BC), generalist, topical writer Gaius Acilius (2nd century BC), historian Lucius Accius (170 BC -- c. 86 BC), tragic dramatist, philologist Gaius Lucilius (c. 160's BC -- 103/2 BC), satirist Quintus Lutatius Catulus (2nd century BC), public officer, epigramatist Aulus Furius Antias (2nd century BC), poet Gaius Julius Caesar Strabo Vopiscus (130 BC -- 87 BC), public officer, tragic dramatist Lucius Pomponius Bononiensis (2nd century BC), comic dramatist, satirist Lucius Cassius Hemina (2nd century BC), historian Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi (2nd century BC), historian Manius Manilius (2nd century BC), public officer, jurist Lucius Coelius Antipater (2nd century BC), jurist, historian Publius Sempronius Asellio (158 BC -- after 91 BC), military officer, historian Gaius Sempronius Tuditanus (2nd century BC), jurist Lucius Afranius (2nd & 1st centuries BC), comic dramatist Titus Albucius (2nd & 1st centuries BC), orator Publius Rutilius Rufus (158 BC -- after 78 BC), jurist Quintus Lutatius Catulus (2nd & 1st centuries BC), public officer, poet Lucius Aelius Stilo Praeconinus (154 BC -- 74 BC), philologist Quintus Claudius Quadrigarius (2nd & 1st centuries BC), historian Valerius Antias (2nd & 1st centuries BC), historian Lucius Cornelius Sisenna (121 BC -- 67 BC), soldier, historian Quintus Cornificius (2nd & 1st centuries BC), rhetorician

1st century BC

Pali: Tipitaka Latin: Cicero: Catiline Orations, Pro Caelio, Dream of Scipio Julius Caesar: Gallic Wars Virgil: Eclogues, Georgics and Aeneid Lucretius: On the Nature of Things Livy: Ab Urbe Condita (History of Rome)

See also: Pahlavi literature, centuries in poetry: 1st, 2nd and 3rd1st century AD

Chinese: Ban Gu: Book of Han (Hnsh?) Greek: Plutarch: Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans Josephus: The Jewish War, Antiquities of the Jews, Against Apion The books of the New Testament Latin: see Classical Latin Tacitus: Germania Ovid: Metamorphoses Pliny the Elder: Natural History Petronius: Satyricon Seneca the Younger: Phaedra, Dialogues

2nd century

Sanskrit: A?vagho?a: Buddhacharita (Acts of the Buddha) Pahlavi: Yadegar-e Zariran (Memorial of Zar?r) Visperad Drakht-i Asurig (The Babylonian Tree) Greek: Arrian: Anabasis Alexandri Marcus Aurelius: Meditations Epictetus and Arrian: Enchiridion Ptolemy: Almagest Athenaeus: The Banquet of the Learned Pausanias: Description of Greece Latin: see Classical Latin Apuleius: The Golden Ass Lucius Ampelius: Liber Memorialis Suetonius: Lives of the Twelve Caesars

3rd century

Avestan: Khordeh Avesta (Zoroastrian prayer book) Pahlavi: Mani: Shabuhragan (Manichaean holy book) Chinese: Chen Shou: Records of Three Kingdoms (S?ngu Zh) Greek: Plotinus: Enneads Latin: see Late Latin Distichs of Cato Hebrew: Mishnah

Late Antiquity

See also: 4th century in poetry, 5th century in poetry4th century

Latin: see Late Latin Augustine of Hippo: Confessions, On Christian Doctrine Apicius (a.k.a. De re coquinaria, On the Subject of Cooking) Pervigilium Veneris (Vigil of Venus) Syriac: Aphrahat, Ephrem the Syrian Hebrew: Gemara

5th century

Chinese: Fan Ye: Book of the Later Han (Huhnsh?) Sanskrit: K?lid?sa (speculated): The Recognition of ?akuntal?, The Cloud Mes

senger Pahlavi: Matigan-i Hazar Datistan (The Thousand Laws of the Magistan) Frahang-i Oim-evak (Pahlavi-Avestan dictionary) Latin: see Late Latin Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus: De Re Militari Augustine of Hippo: The City of God Paulus Orosius: Seven Books of History Against the Pagans Jerome: Vulgate Prudentius: Psychomachia Consentius's grammar Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite: Celestial Hierarchy, Mystical Theology

6th century

Latin: Boethius, De consolatione philosophiae (The Consolation of Philosophy) 524 AD, widely considered to be the last work of classica