Important Works of Literature in the Ancient Period for UPSC

Works of literature from the ancient period give an insight into life during that time period. Ancient literature comprises religious and scientific documents, tales, poetry and plays, royal edicts and declarations, and other forms of writing that were recorded on a variety of media, including stone, stone tablets, papyri, palm leaves, and metal.

Questions with respect to Ancient Literature are asked from time to time in the UPSC Exam. In this article, we will give a list of important works of literature from the Ancient Period.

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List of Important Literature works from the Ancient Period

Below are the list of literary works along with their authors:

1. Epic of Gilgamesh: It is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia, regarded as the earliest surviving notable literature and the second oldest religious text.
2. The Book of the Dead: The Book of the Dead is an ancient Egyptian funerary text generally written on papyrus and used from the beginning of the New Kingdom.It gives an insight into the funeral practices of the Egyptian New Kingdom.
3. Vedas: The Vedas are the large bodies of religious text that are composed of Vedic Sanskrit and originated in ancient India. They form the oldest scriptures of Hinduism and the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature. The Vedas are said to have passed on through verbal transmission from one generation to the next.  The Vedas consist of Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, and Atharva Veda
4. Iliad and Odyssey: The Iliad and Odyssey, attributed to the Greek poet Homer, are important literary works because they give an insight into the state of politics in the Greek peninsula as well as the methods of warfare practiced by the Greeks at the time.

To know more in detail about the Vedic Literature, visit the linked article.

5. Upanishads: The Upanishads are late Vedic Sanskrit texts of Hindu philosophy which supplied the basis of later Hindu philosophy, a recent part of the Vedas, they deal with meditation, philosophy, consciousness and ontological knowledge; earlier parts of the Vedas deal with mantras, benedictions, rituals, ceremonies, and sacrifices.

To know the difference between the Vedas and Upanishads, visit the linked article.

6. Torah: The Torah is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy
7. Avesta: The Avesta is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language.The Avesta texts fall into several different categories, arranged either by dialect, or by usage.
8. The Sushruta Samhita: The Sushruta Samhita by Sushruta is an ancient Sanskrit text on medicine and surgery, and one of the most important such treatises on this subject to survive from the ancient world.

9. The Art of War: The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise. The work, which is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu. It remains an influential strategy text about East Asian Warfare.
10. Indica: Indika is an account of Mauryan India by the Greek writer Megasthenes. The original work is now lost, but its fragments have survived in later Greek and Latin works. The Indica, whatever has been recovered, is the best literary source that describes life in ancient India from a foreigner’s perspective.

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