In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim’s flood vessel was shaped as a cube.
The eleventh tablet of the epic describes the boat as having equal length and width, with its height matching those dimensions. The vessel is divided into multiple levels and is sealed against the flood. This cubic design differs sharply from the long, rectangular proportions assigned to Noah’s Ark in Genesis.
The description belongs to the Mesopotamian flood narrative told by Utnapishtim to Gilgamesh. The gods decide to destroy humanity with a flood, but the god Ea secretly communicates the warning. Utnapishtim saves people, animals, and skilled workers, then survives the storm and receives immortality.
The cubic shape is sometimes overlooked because later paintings and modern comparisons make the two flood vessels look similar. Their narratives share motifs such as a warning, a constructed boat, preservation of life, birds, and a post-flood offering, but their specifications are not identical.