It is generally thought that literature arose from the oral traditions of [[epic poetry]]. In ancient [[Mesopotamia]] (c. 7th century B.C.), the development of [[ideograph|ideographic]] glyphs allowed the [[Epic of Gilgamesh]] to be transcribed for an Assyrian king in the city of Akkadia. This is arguably the earliest piece of literature that we possess today, although Egyptologists believe that the [[Egypt|Egyptian]] [[Book of the Dead]] may have been written as early as the 18th century B.C. Extant copies, however, date from 250 B.C.<ref>Diamond, Jared. ''Guns, Germs, and Steel.'' New York: Norton, 2005.</ref> | It is generally thought that literature arose from the oral traditions of [[epic poetry]]. In ancient [[Mesopotamia]] (c. 7th century B.C.), the development of [[ideograph|ideographic]] glyphs allowed the [[Epic of Gilgamesh]] to be transcribed for an Assyrian king in the city of Akkadia. This is arguably the earliest piece of literature that we possess today, although Egyptologists believe that the [[Egypt|Egyptian]] [[Book of the Dead]] may have been written as early as the 18th century B.C. Extant copies, however, date from 250 B.C.<ref>Diamond, Jared. ''Guns, Germs, and Steel.'' New York: Norton, 2005.</ref> |