This 4,000 year old Babylonian poem is the oldest literary work by a known author.
The Exaltation of Inanna was written in around 2260 B.C. by Enheduanna, daughter of Sargon of Akkad. The poem describes the author’s suffering at the hands of an upstart rebel, her appeals to the Moon God, and ultimately her appeal to the goddess Inanna.
Today, the poem is located in the Yale Babylonian Collection along with approximately 45,000 other pieces.