This course explores some of the world’s oldest literature, including the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Babylonian Epic of Creation. It surveys the major literary genres from ancient Mesopotamia, including epics, myths, lyrical poetry, wisdom literature, and humorous tales. It covers literary compositions written in the Sumerian and Babylonian languages using the cuneiform script, ranging in date from the third millennium BC through to the first millennium BC. The course also examines the scholarly and cultural context in which these works were created and preserved for posterity, including the role of scribal training, the nature of Mesopotamian scholarship, royal sponsorship, and the formation of ancient libraries.