Central Asia earliest written version in 14th/15th century CE; continues to be performed orally Anonymous, Alpamish The epic of Alpamish is the main heroic epic of the Uzbeks, but is also found in the oral tradition of other ethnic groups speaking Turkic...
Japan Oldest extant variant: 1309 (Engyōbon) Tale of the Heike The Tale of the Heike, often called “Japan’s epic,” is a long narrative describing the Genpei War (1180-1185), a civil conflict that rent Japan’s political structure and ushered in its medieval period, an...
China Written: ca. 1315-1400First published: 1522 Three Kingdoms (Sanguo yanyi) Three Kingdoms (Sanguo yanyi) can be read as a study of values in conflict, such as righteousness (yi) against loyalty (zhong), and filial piety (xiao) against brotherhood (xiongdi). In a...
Italy ca. 1340 Giovanni Boccaccio, Teseida (The Theseid) The Teseida—or Teseida: Delle nozze d’Emilia (The Theseid: Of the nuptials of Emilia), the full title we derive at the closure of the text—is an epic poem written by Giovanni Boccaccio in the...
Ethiopia 14th century CE Kebra Nagast The Kebra Nagast, which means in Ethiopic “the Glory of Kings,” has fascinated scholars since the modern era. It is a Judeo-Christian based text that traces the origin of the Solomonic Dynasty of Ethiopia to the...
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