Search
Search Results
Article
Treasure Hoards in Ancient Literature
Aristophanes wrote in the 5th century BCE about coin hoards in Athens. He joked about the common saying, "No one knows but the birds where I hid my money," which led buffoons in his play to follow birds around with a shovel, hoping to excavate...
Collection
Persian Poets and Literature
Persian literature is usually dated to the Behistun Inscription of Darius I (the Great, r. 522-486 BCE) at c. 522 BCE. It is generally understood that a significant body of work was created by Persian writers between that time and c. 330...
Article
The Value of Family in Ancient Greek Literature
When looking at Ancient Greek literature, one can see the importance family plays in Greek culture. We see this displayed in the Greek works Medea by Euripides and Antigone by Sophocles. Throughout these literary works we see that family...
Collection
Literature of Mesopotamia
The literature of Mesopotamia dates from c. 2600 BCE when scribes began composing original works in the region of Sumer. The Sumerians invented writing c. 3500 BCE, but it was then mostly used for record-keeping. The literature of ancient...
Article
Depictions of India in Ancient Literature
Herodotus (484 BCE – c. 425 BCE) has been called the Father of History since he was the first historian known to collect his materials in detail, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a well-constructed and vivid...
Image
Poetess Reciting Literature
An artistic depiction of a poetess reciting her work in a court setting. From the game Old World.
Video
An Introduction to Ancient Roman Literature
From its infancy, Roman literature borrowed heavily from the Greeks. However, they were able to shake the shackles and create a vibrant literature of their own; poetry, prose, and history. The Roman authors influenced countless others in...
Article
The Admonitions of Ipuwer
The Admonitions of Ipuwer (also known as The Papyrus Ipuwer and The Admonitions of an Egyptian Sage) is a literary text dated to the Middle Kingdom of Egypt (2040-1782 BCE). The only extant copy of the work, preserved on the Papyrus Leiden...
Video
The History of the Mesopotamian Naru Literature
The literary genre of Mesopotamian Naru Literature first appeared in the region around the second millennium BCE and the stories not only became very popular, but seemed to replace the actual historical events in the minds of the people...
Article
The Legend of Cutha
The Legend of Cutha (also known as the Cutha Legend and Kutha Legend) is a fictional work dated to the 2nd millennium BCE belonging to the genre known as Mesopotamian Naru literature. It features the Akkadian king Naram-Sin (r. 2261-2224...