7 interesting facts about World’s oldest book (2024)

FAQs

What was the oldest book in the world? ›

The oldest extant printed book is a work of the Diamond Sutra and dates back to 868 CE, during the Tang Dynasty.

The earliest surviving written literature is from ancient Mesopotamia. The Epic of Gilgamesh is often cited as the first great composition, although some shorter compositions have survived that are even earlier (notably the “Kesh Temple Hymn” and “The Instructions of Shuruppak”).

Murasaki Shikibu's Tale of Genji, an early 11th-century Japanese text, has sometimes been described as the world's first novel, because of its early use of the experience of intimacy in a narrative form.

In brief, Rigved is at least 18 800 years old based on present evidence. This proves that Rigved is not only the oldest book of human civilisation but is a highest creation of knowledge in the human history.

On the back of the disk, an inscription identifies her as Enheduanna, a high priestess and the daughter of King Sargon. Some scholars believe that the priestess was also the world's first recorded author.

At the time of this post, Marcel Proust's A la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time, or Remembrance of Things Past) is recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest novel ever written.

The first book, at this point, comes from China and dates to around 868 CE. It was a Buddhist religious text in the form of a scroll. The book, as we know it today, was made by German inventor Johannes Guttenberg in 1452. It was the Christian Bible.

The Epic of Gilgamesh. What, When and Where: An epic poem concerning or (very) loosely based on the historical King Gilgamesh, who ruled Sumerian Uruk (modern day Iraq) in 2700 BC. This is the oldest written story, period, anywhere, known to exist.

The first actual book written on paper is said to have been made in China. It was created using mulberries, hemp, bark and even fish to form a big pulp, that could be pressed and dried to form paper. Each sheet of paper was roughly the size of a newspaper and called a "leaf".

Sumerian cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs are generally considered to be the earliest examples of true writing systems. Both gradually evolved from proto-writing between 3400 and 3100 BCE.

Who is the oldest book writer in the world? ›

And roughly a millennium after cuneiform emerged, a priestess named Enheduanna began using this writing system in a new way. Her unique texts are the earliest known example of first-person writing, and she may be the first known writer to claim authorship of her work.

From ages 4+

Your little one may well start to read simple books by themselves at this stage. They will probably select their own favourite book and will enjoy trying to read it with you.

But, it is not the Bible but rather a Buddhist text that owns the feather to the cap of being the World's oldest book. The Diamond Sutra, also known as the 'Diamond Cutter Sutra' or 'Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra,' is a remarkable Buddhist text and is considered the world's oldest printed book.

The Rigveda, a scripture of Hinduism, is dated 1500 BCE. It is one of the oldest known complete religious texts that has survived into the modern age.

Hinduism (/ˈhɪnduˌɪzəm/) is an Indian religion or dharma, a religious and universal order by which its followers abide. The word Hindu is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, it has also been described as sanātana dharma (Sanskrit: सनातन धर्म, lit.

The Bible is an ancient collection of different texts, with its oldest parts dating back over 2700 years.

In the Latin Vulgate, the New Revised Standard Version and in Protestant Bibles, it is placed after the Book of Esther as the first of the poetic books. In the Hebrew Bible it is located within the Ketuvim.

Starting with what is considered to be the oldest religion in the world, Hinduism. The RigVeda are believed to be the most ancient text in Hinduism and are dated to approximately 1500–1200 BCE.

Authorship is traditionally attributed to Moses, following the exodus of Israel from Egypt, around 1400 BCE. Most modern scholars accept that Genesis is a redacted literary work, reaching its final version as late as post-exilic Israel around 400 BCE.