Epic: Did you mean...?

Surpassing all other kings, heroic in stature, brave scion of Uruk, wild bull on the rampage! Going at the fore he was the vanguard, going at the rear, one his comrades could trust! (Prologue, Tablet I, The Epic of Gilgamesh...

The Atrahasis is the Akkadian/Babylonian epic of the Great Flood sent by the gods to destroy human life. Only the good man, Atrahasis (his name translates as `exceedingly wise') was warned of the impending deluge by the god Enki (also known...

The Enuma Elish (also known as The Seven Tablets of Creation) is the Babylonian creation myth whose title is derived from the opening lines of the piece, "When on High". The myth tells the story of the great god Marduk's victory over the...

The cuneiform inscription on this clay tablet (VAT 12890) narrates part of the Epic of Gilgamesh (written c. 2150 - 1400 BCE). The obverse of this tablet relates the second dream of Gilgamesh on the journey to the Forest of Cedar, and part...

In this gallery, we cross the ancient Mediterranean world four times to follow the adventures of four great heroes from Greek and Roman mythology. Here are visual representations of timeless tales of heroism, divine challenges, and fearsome...

Sculpture from the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Rosheim, France, 12th century.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest surviving work of epic literature, originating in Mesopotamia with its earliest Sumerian poems composed around c. 2100 BCE, during the period of early city-states in southern Mesopotamia. Centered on Gilgamesh...

Rarely does a name survive as many millennia as Gilgamesh has. World-renowned men of letters such as Carl Gustav Jung and Rainer Maria Rilke spoke nothing but the highest praise for the ancient Babylonian epic about the popular and much beloved...

This infographic illustrates the Epic Cycle (Ἐπικὸς Κύκλος), a lost collection of ancient Greek epic poems that once narrated the full arc of the Trojan War and its aftermath, from the origins of the conflict to the heroes' returns. Though...

The Spartans are remembered as famous warriors but their words could be every bit as biting as their spears! Here is a top 10 list of the most epic Spartan one liners in history! Bibliography and recommended reading below: (Use affiliate...