Ancient Literature Including Religious Texts & Dates

Early Bronze Age: 3rd millennium BC (approximate dates shown) The earliest written literature dates from about 2600 BC (classical Sumerian).^[1] The earliest literary author known by name is Enheduanna, dating to ca. the 24th century BC. Certain literary texts are difficult to date, such as the Egyptian Book of the Dead which was recorded in the Papyrus of Ani around 1240 BC, but other versions of the book probably date from about the 18th century BC.

• 2600 Sumerian texts from Abu Salabikh, including the Instructions of Shuruppak and the Kesh temple hymn
• 2400 Egyptian Pyramid Texts, including the Cannibal Hymn
• 2400 Sumerian Code of Urukagina ^[2]
• 2400 Egyptian Palermo stone
• 2350 Egyptian The Maxims of Ptahhotep
• 2270 Sumerian Enheduanna's Hymns
• 2250-2000 Sumerian Earliest stories in the Epic of Gilgamesh ^[3][4]
• 2100 Sumerian Curse of Agade
• 2100 Sumerian Debate between Bird and Fish
• 2050 Sumerian Code of Ur-Nammu
• 2000 Egyptian Coffin Texts
• 2000 Sumerian Lament for Ur
• 2000 Sumerian Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta

Middle Bronze Age: ca. 2000 to 1600 BC (approximate dates shown)

• 1950 Akkadian Laws of Eshnunna
• 1900 Akkadian Legend of Etana ^[5]
• 1900 Sumerian Code of Lipit-Ishtar
• 1900 Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh
• 1850 Akkadian Kultepe texts
• 1800 Egyptian Story of Sinuhe (in Hieratic)
• 1800 Sumerian Eridu Genesis
• 1800 Akkadian Enûma Eliš
• 1800 Akkadian Atra-Hasis epic
• 1780 Akkadian Code of Hammurabi stele
• 1780 Akkadian Mari letters, including the Epic of Zimri-Lim
• 1750 Hittite Anitta text
• 1700 Egyptian Westcar Papyrus
• 1650 Egyptian Ipuwer Papyrus

Late Bronze Age: ca. 1600 to 1200 BC (approximate dates shown)

• 1700-1100 Vedic Sanskrit: approximate date of the composition of the Rigveda. Many of these were not set to writing until later.^[6]
• 1600 Hittite Code of the Nesilim
• 1500 Akkadian Poor Man of Nippur ^[7]
• 1500 Hittite military oath
• 1550 Egyptian Book of the Dead
• 1500 Akkadian Dynasty of Dunnum^[8]
• 1440-1400 Hebrew Torah, also called the Pentateuch or Five Books of Moses^{[9][10][11][12][13]} with a final redaction between 900-450 BC.^[14][15] Some give an alternate date of 1320-1280.^[16]
• 1400 Akkadian Marriage of Nergal and Ereshkigal
• 1400 Akkadian Autobiography of Kurigalzu
• 1400 Akkadian Amarna letters
• 1330 Egyptian Great Hymn to the Aten
• 1240 Egyptian Papyrus of Ani, Book of the Dead
• 1200-900 Akkadian version and younger stories in the Epic of Gilgamesh^[3]
• 1200 Akkadian Tukulti-Ninurta Epic
• 1200 Egyptian Tale of Two Brothers ^[17]

Iron Age

See also Sanskrit literature, Chinese literature

Iron Age texts predating Classical Antiquity: 12th to 8th centuries BC

• 1200-1100 BC approximate date of books RV 1 and RV 10 in the Rigveda
• 1200-800 BC approximate date of the Vedic Sanskrit Yajurveda, Atharvaveda
• 1100-800 BC date of the redaction of the extant text of the Rigveda
• 1050 BC Egyptian Story of Wenamun
• 1050 BC Akkadian Sakikkū (SA.GIG) “Diagnostic Omens” by Esagil-kin-apli.^[18]
• 1050 BC The Babylonian Theodicy of Šaggil-kīnam-ubbib.^[18]
• 1000-600 BC Chinese Classic of Poetry (Shījīng), Classic of Documents (Shūjīng) (authentic portions), Classic of Changes (I Ching)
• 950 BC date of the Jahwist portions of the Torah according to the documentary hypothesis
• 900 BC Akkadian Epic of Erra
• 850 BC date of the Elohist portions of the Torah according to the documentary hypothesis 

*Reference -Ancient literature