The Epic of Gilgamesh was written in cuneiform, a writing system developed in ancient Mesopotamia. Scribes used a triangle-shaped wedge on wet clay. The clay was fired in a kiln, allowing it to last for thousands of years if undisturbed. Russian, Chinese, Greek, and Latin are all old languages, but none of them are from Mesopotamia, and therefore they were not written using cuneiform script.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. It is also the only one that's still intact. The Pyramid also stands as an architectural marvel, and was the world's tallest man-made structure for thousands of years.  

The Shang Dynasty came to power in 1558 BCE and ruled over China until 1050 BCE The Shang Dynasty used oracle bones and practiced ancestor worship. Writing was invented in China during the Shang Dynasty. They expanded the territory of the Chinese state and were skilled metal-workers and innovators (as evidenced by archaeological finds of bronze, jade, and ceramic). They did not, however, build the Great Wall of China. This was undertaken several centuries later by the great Qin Shi Huangdi.

Most historians believe that writing was invented independently in at least three separates places. It was invented first in the Middle East (Mesopotamia) by the Sumerians circa 3,300 BCE It was later independently invented in China circa 1,200 BCE And finally in Mesoamerica circa 600 BCE All other instances of writing emerging in a civilization, like Egypt in 3,150 BCE, are thought to be because of cultural diffusion.

The Epic of Gilgamesh tells the Sumerian story of creation. It was written circa 2,100 BCE It is notable for being the earliest surviving piece of human literature.

The most recognized aspect of Olmec culture are monumental heads carved from basalt that have been found at several sites in Mexico. The Mayan civilization created codices made out of birch cloth. The Nazca civilization in South America created the geoglyphs popularly known as the Nazca lines. The Aztec civilization built Tenochtitlan on an island in Lake Texcoco.

The modern European alphabet arose from the alphabet of the ancient Phoenicians who ruled over a vast commercial empire approximately three thousand years ago.

The Babylonian ruler Hammurabi conquered most of Mesopotamia circa 1800 BCE. He then published a noteworthy set of laws and rules known as Hammurabi’s Code. Hammurabi’s Code is the earliest known uniform set of laws in a human society. It was designed to ensure order and justice in the Babylonian Empire, although it is worth noting it heavily favored elites and men over common people and women.

The Mahabharata is one of the two great epics of ancient India. It is written in Sanskrit and contains, among other things, the Bhagavad Gita. The Mahabharata is influential in the history of Vedism, Hinduism, and the Indian subcontinent in general.