Mythology
Sumerian & Babylonian Mythology Quiz
Gilgamesh, Tiamat, and the world's oldest stories ever written down.
Gilgamesh, Tiamat, and the world's oldest stories ever written down.
The Epic of Gilgamesh, dating to around 2100 BCE, is the oldest surviving work of literature in human history. This 50-question quiz explores the mythology of ancient Mesopotamia — modern-day Iraq — from the earliest Sumerian clay tablets to the grand Babylonian creation epic known as the Enuma Elish. Test your knowledge of sky gods, flood myths, underworld descents, and the heroes and monsters of the world's first civilisations.
Mesopotamia — the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern-day Iraq — was home to the world's first writing system, the first cities, and the first recorded mythology. The Sumerians invented cuneiform script around 3400 BCE, and on those clay tablets they recorded the earliest myths, hymns, and epics ever committed to writing.
Each round presents 10 randomized multiple-choice questions drawn from a pool of 50, so every playthrough is different. You get instant feedback with explanations after each answer, plus a shareable score at the end.
You'll explore the Sumerian pantheon including An, Enlil, Enki, and Inanna; the Babylonian Enuma Elish creation myth; Gilgamesh's epic quest; the Descent of Inanna into the underworld; the flood story that predates Genesis; and the rise of Marduk as king of the gods when Babylon became the dominant power of Mesopotamia.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the world's oldest surviving work of literature, composed around 2100 BCE. It follows Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, as he befriends the wild man Enkidu, slays monsters, and then sets out on a desperate quest for immortality after Enkidu's death. He eventually meets the flood survivor Utnapishtim and learns that eternal life is beyond mortal reach.
Tiamat was the primordial goddess of salt water and chaos in Babylonian mythology. In the Enuma Elish, the god Marduk defeats her in battle and splits her body in two — one half becomes the sky and the other the earth. Her consort Apsu represented fresh water, and together they were the primordial parents of the first gods.
Many scholars believe the Genesis flood narrative was influenced by the older Mesopotamian flood story in Tablet XI of the Epic of Gilgamesh, which predates the Biblical account by over 1,000 years. Both feature a righteous man warned by a god to build a boat, carry animals, survive a great flood, and release birds to find dry land. The Mesopotamian survivor is named Utnapishtim.
Last updated: March 2026