Overview of Works

Gilgamesh (Mesopotamia) – Head-strong, arrogant young king becomes a good and wise king through a process of searching and suffering.

The Old Testament (Palestine) – The central text of the Jewish faith, featuring the history and religious laws of the Hebrews.

The Iliad (Greece) – Epic poem dealing with the Greek siege and eventual conquest of the city of Troy.

The Aeneid (Rome) – Epic poem dealing with a band of Trojan warriors after the fall of Troy. Following their commander Aeneas, they succeed in conquering the Italian peninsula, leading to the eventual establishment of Rome.

Metamorphoses (Rome) – A collection of stories and legends from the length and breadth of the Roman Empire (from Europe to the Middle East).

The Bhagavad-Gita (India) – A central work of the Hindu faith. A warrior worries about the cost of warfare on his eternal soul.

The New Testament (Palestine) – The central text of the Christian faith, featuring the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.

The Koran (Arabia) – The central text of the Islamic faith, transcribed from the oral revelations of the Prophet Muhammad.

Beowulf (Scandinavia) – The archetypal European medieval epic. A hero crosses the sea to slay a monster terrorizing a neighboring kingdom.

Don Quixote (Spain) – A mentally unstable Spanish nobleman decides to revive the days of knights and chivalry, centuries after the fact, by suiting up in his great-grandfather’s armor and riding out.