Homeric hymns the first story ever written?

Question

just wondering...

Answer 1

I believe the Dead Sea scrolls pre-date Homer, but I may be wrong.

Answer 2

In WESTERN literature, it is generally believed that Homer's Illiad is the first thing ever *written down* which still survives today.  Some argue for Hesiod though.

But it's up for debate what story was composed first. The Homeric hymns were transmitted orally for generations, but were written down after Homer.

However, I think it's pretty well know that there are pieces of Egyptian, Persian, Indian and Chinese writing that pre-date Homer. We're just not very familiar with them.

Answer 3

No Gilgamesh predates it along with Middle Egyptian literature.

Actually several things predate the Homeric Hymns and I suspect you mean Homer rather than the Homeric Hymns?

Answer 4

The Epic of Gilgamesh influenced the Odyssey.

Read more at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Gil...

A list of ancient texts can be found at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_lit...

Answer 5

No.  Sumerians, who had the first written language, also wrote down the first stories thousands of years before Homer.

Answer 6

No, I would think the Book of the Dead.