of Samosata Lucian

Lucian of Samosata (c. 125–180 AD) was a Greek-language satirist of the Roman era whose A True History parodies the tall tales of travellers by sending its narrator to the Moon, complete with interplanetary warfare between the peoples of the Moon and the Sun, and into the belly of a giant whale. Written explicitly as fantastical invention, it is frequently cited as the earliest surviving work of science fiction.