The Epic of Gilgamesh is, perhaps, the oldest written story on Earth. It comes to us from Ancient Sumeria, and was originally written on twelve clay tablets in cuneiform script. It is a story about a Sumerian king, Gilgamesh, who seems to have lived in Mesopotamia about 2500 BC.
The epic begins with Gilgamesh ruling the city of Uruk. He learns about a wild man who is living out in the hills near the city. This wild man’s name is Enkidu. Gilgamesh gets Enkidu to come to the city, and the two become friends. They have many adventures together, and when Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh mourns his friend’s death, and wants to know how he himself can live forever. Gilgamesh finds out that he can become immortal if he can stay awake for a week watching a particular plant. But he falls asleep in the end, and goes back to his city realizing that everyone has to die sometime. Also included in the epic is a legend of the flood, which is very similar to the great flood that is described in the Bible.