Oldest surviving text that can be precisely dated, and author is well known (Egyptian, Chinese)

[MalaMan]

What is the oldest surviving text in the world that can be precisely dated, and the author of the text has a well known biography?

Is it the play "The Persians" (Persai), written by Aeschylus, and performed on Athens' City Dionysia festival in the year 472 BC?

Aeschylus is a historical person, a person who really existed, and is said to been born in 525 BC in Eleusis, and died in 456 or 455 BC, in the city of Gela, in Sicily. "The Persians" is a text that survived until today, and is well known to be first performed in the year 472 BC, in the Dionysia festival in Athens.

Is there any older surviving text that can be precisely dated, and with precisely determined authorship by a historical person?

[Ummagumma]

A lot of Egyptian texts, although you'd have to talk to an Egyptologist.

[MalaMan]

Originally Posted by Ummagumma

A lot of Egyptian texts, although you'd have to talk to an Egyptologist.

I really doubt any Egyptian text can be precisely dated to the year it was written, with no controversy about it, and the author of the text determined to be a historical person with well determined dates of bith and death.

[MalaMan]

So far, I couldn't find any surviving text from any of the pre-Socratic philosophers that can be precisely dated.

[MalaMan]

For those interested, here is the original Greek text of "The Persians":

Aeschylus, Persians, line 1


All my respect to a text that is so old, and that can be precisely dated and the authorship so precisely determined...

[601halfdozen0theother]

You might post this question on the Asia forum, as I would bet very strongly that there are Chinese texts that can be precisely dated with a known author that are older than the text you've cited and provided (and thanks!).

I just looked this up, and founs:

The Travels of Fa Hein (Faxion) was written apx. 400 a.d.

The Shijing (spelled variously) a book of poetry written various authors (including Zhōu Gōng) from the 11th to 7th centuries BC. The book was compiled by Confucius.

Han Kung Tchu - can't find a date on this, just "b.c."

[cachibatches]

I read the Suppliants, or what is left of it.

[Grandstander]

Oldest surviving text that can be precisely dated, and author is well known

Oh...I thought that this would be a thread about Larry King.