The first known work of literature, the Epic of Gilgamesh traces theEpic of Gilgamesh
After a long quest and many trials, Gilgamesh is finally offered immortality
by the gods, but he refuses it, choosing instead to embrace his mortality.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is not a happy piece of literature. It
shows the
world as a dark and mainly hopeless place, and offers peace and
happiness only in the afterlife. Scholars see this as an insight
into the lives
of the early Mesopotamians. If Gilgamesh is any indication,
Mesopotamian's only hope for happiness was a noble life and an
honorable death.