What was the Ancient Egyptian equivalent to the Iliad?

I think it's fair to say there isn't one, or at least that if one ever existed we have never found it. Egyptian literature — at least the part that wasn't composed for kings, temples, or funerary services — tends toward the short-story format. read more

As far as ancient Egyptian literature goes I would say the closest tale is probably the Taking of Joppa. It's nowhere near as long, complex or “epic” as the Iliad but it contains similar themes. Basically, the head of the Egyptian army uses trickery to get his soldiers into Joppa (modern Jaffa in Israel) with trojan horse style tactics and ambushes the cities residents. read more

“The Odyssey” (Gr: “Odysseia”) is the second of the two epic poems attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer (the first being “The Iliad”), and usually considered the second extant work of Western literature. read more