In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim’s flood boat is described as a cube.
The Mesopotamian flood story tells Utnapishtim to build a massive vessel with equal length and width, making it cube-shaped. The boat has multiple levels and is coated to make it watertight before the flood begins.
This account is one of the ancient flood traditions often compared with Genesis, although the two narratives differ in names, measurements, divine characters, and story details. Genesis describes Noah’s ark as a long rectangular vessel measuring 300 by 50 by 30 cubits, not as a cube.
The cubic shape in the Gilgamesh narrative is therefore a useful comparison point, but it should not be transferred to Noah’s ark. Utnapishtim is the flood survivor in the Epic of Gilgamesh, while Noah is the corresponding figure in Genesis.