I would have to say the greatest literary work of ancient civilization would have to be The Epic of Gilgamesh written by the Sumerians. It's the oldest known literary work on this planet written on cuneiform tablets around 1900 B.C.E found in the library of the Assyrian king. I feel it's the foundation for epic stories throughout civilization and shows that mankind has had a very vivid imagination since day one. It's a legend written about Sumer's most famous King Gilgamesh written hundreds of years after his death. In the story he is King of Uruk, part human and part god and goes on different adventures throughout the story. Enkidu was a primitive man sent by the god of Anu who eventually becomes best friends with Gilgamesh and together go on epic journeys though they fought each other at first. After one journey where the dynamic duo kill the Bull of Heaven, the gods retaliate by sending an illness to Enkidu leading to his death. Gilgamesh was devastated by this and tries to find the secret of everlasting life from the only immortal, Utnapishtim. He fails but learns that he can't live forever but humankind will.
What's really interesting about this story is that it as many similarities as the the christian bible such as the serpent in the garden of Eden. In the The Epic of Gilgamesh Enkin, god of water eats eight plants that Ninhursag, the mother-goddess had planted. Infuriated, Ninhursag curses Enki to die for his actions. This part of the story is similar to where Adam and Eve are punished by God for eating from the forbidden tree. Also, the story of the flood is similar. Enki notifies Utnapishtim that the gods are were going to kill all the humans for there intolerable ways and that he should build a boat to save his family. In the bible, Noah is instructed by god to build an arch because he was going to wipe mankind off the earth because of there wicked ways. The stories are not exactly the same but are to similar and I think Sumerian literature has found its way in the bible through out civilization. How it exactly happened?I have no clue. 
This story leads me to conclude that this literature influenced many stories till this day. For example, The Lord of the Rings epic trilogy is similar to this story in my opinion. It's about Frodo and his buddy Sam go on adventures fighting weird monsters and facing life's obstacles to save mankind that compares to the topic. It's a journey about good vs. evil, power of friendship, destiny, loyalty, and many similarities of the topic. Until we find previous literature that has similar stories, I believe The Epic of Gilgamesh paved the way for it all.
Carlos Rodriguez
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