What Was the First Book Ever Written?

The question of what was the very first book ever written leads us on a captivating story back to the beginning of human history and the very earliest forms of recorded literature. Although the existence of a "book" in the form that we understand it today-bound pages of printed or manuscript text-is quite recent, the oldest surviving written texts are from ancient Mesopotamia, where writing first appeared more than 5,000 years ago.

The Origins of Writing and Literature

According to Britannica, writing began as a practical tool for record-keeping in Mesopotamia, around 3200 BCE, using cuneiform script inscribed on clay tablets. Over time, this system evolved from simple accounting to the recording of stories, hymns, laws, and instructions, marking the birth of literature. These early texts were not "books" in the modern sense but collections of tablets that conveyed complex narratives and ideas.

Early Written Works: Hymns and Instructions

Among the earliest extant written works are brief works such as the "Kesh Temple Hymn" and "The Instructions of Shuruppak." The Kesh Temple Hymn is a sacred work that glorifies a temple, an indication of the ancient Mesopotamians' religious life. The Instructions of Shuruppak, however, is a collection of moral and practical admonitions of a mythical king, providing guidance on living both wisely and ethically. These works, though short, are among the first examples of human thinking and culture being codified into written texts.

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The Epic of Gilgamesh: The First Great Literary Work

The most celebrated and possibly the very first great literary work is the *Epic of Gilgamesh*. This ancient Mesopotamian epic poem is much more voluminous and intricate than previous texts, and it has had a massive and enduring impact on literature across the centuries.

The *Epic of Gilgamesh* is the tale of Gilgamesh, the mythical king of Uruk, and his search for immortality. It is a narrative of universal themes including friendship, fear of death, quest for meaning, and the human-divine connection. The epic is filled with symbolism and philosophical observations, and it is therefore not merely a tale but a sourcebook of the human culture.

Influence on Later Literature

The relevance of the *Epic of Gilgamesh* reaches far beyond its ancient past. It is thought to have had impact on numerous other great works of literature, such as the Greek epics-the *Iliad* and the *Odyssey*-and Alexander romance literature and even the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). These texts, in turn, have influenced Western literature and thought for thousands of years.

This heritage emphasizes the way in which the *Epic of Gilgamesh* is not merely the first book, but a pillar of literary heritage, linking ancient Mesopotamian society to the wider human experience.

What Makes the "First Book"?

It is a matter of defining what constitutes a book. If we take any written work to be a book, then the oldest cuneiform tablets containing hymns or instructions would be the first. If we define a book as a more extensive, unified work with literary value, then the *Epic of Gilgamesh* would be the first.

Did you know? Primitive texts were written on clay tablets, not on bound pages. The codex-pages bound along one side-was a Roman innovation in the 1st century CE that replaced scrolls and tablets as the standard book format.

The earliest book ever composed is not one, uncomplicated artifact but a landmark in human intellectual history. The oldest extant works of ancient Mesopotamia, the *Kesh Temple Hymn* and *The Instructions of Shuruppak*, represent the dawn of written culture. However, it is the *Epic of Gilgamesh* that is the first great work of literature, with its deep stories and issues that resonate across the centuries.

This great old epic not only provides a glimpse of the values and beliefs of the earliest civilizations but also acts as a bridge connecting the earliest human writings to the extensive and multiform universe of literature that succeeded it. Knowledge of the origin of the first book enhances our understanding of how the art of storytelling and writing has created human civilization from the very beginning.

Therefore, even though the *Epic of Gilgamesh* is not necessarily a "book" in the contemporary understanding of the term, it is certainly the oldest surviving literary classic and a genuine trailblazer in the annals of written literature.

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