One way in which The Epic of Gilgamesh, The

Odyssey, and The Mah¯ abh¯

arata are similar is that

they are

(1) sets of written legal principles that spell out

the rights of citizens

(2) stories that are tied to monotheistic religious

beliefs

(3) paintings that depict heroes and cultural

values

(4) works of literature that give historians

information about early civilizations