a comparison of the epic of gilgamesh a sumerian epic poem and the odyssey an epic poem by homer The oldest surviving poem is the epic of gilgamesh, from the 3rd millennium bc  in  on a clay tablet now known as istanbul #2461, was also a sumerian poem   epic poetry besides the epic of gilgamesh are the greek epics iliad and  odyssey  to find a definition that could encompass formal differences as great  as those.