ABSTRACT
By literature of the Ancient Near East we mean texts that were passed down in the stream of tradition; scribes copied them in the course of their scribal training, and so they were texts for use in instruction. Some of them may also have been enjoyed as entertaining. The stories that appeal to us were not the most popular things in the ancient curriculum, or the most useful. Most of the texts we find were lists of omens and other collections that were studied for their practical advantages, texts on astrology, mathematics, and dictionary lists.
