In the Epic of Gilgamesh, bitumen seals the flood survivor’s boat.
The flood story is told by Utnapishtim, who builds a huge boat after the god Ea warns him of the coming flood. The construction account includes wood, reeds, and bitumen used to make the vessel watertight. Bitumen is a naturally occurring petroleum-based substance widely used in the ancient Near East as waterproofing.
The Gilgamesh flood story is an important comparative text because it predates the surviving biblical manuscripts and shares several broad motifs with Genesis, including a divinely warned survivor, a boat, animals, birds, and a flood. The stories are not identical: Utnapishtim’s boat is described differently, and the surrounding theology and narrative details diverge.