The Interpretation of Dreams an edition of 600 copies, which did not sell out for eight years. "The Interpretation of Dreams" later gained in popularity, and seven more editions were published in Freud's lifetime. Because of the book's length and complexity, Freud also wrote an abridged version called "On Dreams". The original text is widely regarded as one of Freud's most significant works. Freud spent the summer of 1895 at Schloss BelleVue near Grinzing in Austria, where he began the inception of "The Interpretation of Dreams". In a 1900 letter to Wilhelm Fliess, he wrote in commemoration of the place: While staying at Schloss
Dream interpretation waking beliefs and desires. The ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia have left evidence of dream interpretation dating back to at least 3100 BC. Throughout Mesopotamian history, dreams were always held to be extremely important for divination and Mesopotamian kings paid close attention to them. Gudea, the king of the Sumerian city-state of Lagash (reigned 2144–2124 BC), rebuilt the temple of Ningirsu as the result of a dream in which he was told to do so. The standard Akkadian "Epic of Gilgamesh" contains numerous accounts of the prophetic power of dreams. First, Gilgamesh himself has two dreams foretelling the arrival of Enkidu.