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Mesopotamian scribes recorded the heroic quest of King Gilgamesh on clay tablets. The figure is taken from British Museum, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

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The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest literary works

Mesopotamian scribes recorded the heroic quest of King Gilgamesh on clay tablets

Originating in ancient Sumeria before 2100 BCE, the Epic of Gilgamesh recounts the adventures and philosophical reflections of the legendary ruler of Uruk. Preserved on clay cuneiform tablets, the text explores themes of mortality, grief, friendship, and divine judgment that influenced later epic traditions.

Epic of Gilgamesh Flood Tablet in Akkadian Cuneiform - Nate Loper (43494374962) — Nate Loper from Flagstaff, AZ, USA · CC BY 2.0 · licence · source

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British Museum

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Tags: mesopotamia, gilgamesh, literature

The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest literary works: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Mesopotamian scribes recorded the heroic quest of King Gilgamesh on clay tablets. The figure is taken from British Museum, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a history fact?: Yes. It sits on the History shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.