Austen Henry Layard and Hormuzd Rassam excavated Assyrian ruins at Nineveh (near Mosul, Iraq), uncovering cuneiform tablets including the Epic of Gilgamesh in the Library of Ashurbanipal. Dating to the 7th century BC but copying older Sumerian tales, the flood narrative paralleled biblical stories. This find in ancient Mesopotamia revived one of the world's oldest literary works.

The epic's rediscovery transformed understandings of narrative poetry origins, influencing modernist poets like Ezra Pound who drew on ancient fragments. It enriched comparative literature and themes of heroism, mortality, and friendship in global poetry. Gilgamesh became a cornerstone for exploring universal human stories across cultures.