In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the flood boat described to Utnapishtim was a cube.
The flood account in the Epic of Gilgamesh tells Utnapishtim to build a vessel with equal length and width, and the text gives its height as equal as well. Its dimensions are expressed as twelve dozen cubits on each side, producing a cube rather than the elongated boat shape associated with Noah’s Ark.
The vessel is divided into levels and compartments in the Mesopotamian story. Utnapishtim loads his family, craftsmen, animals, and goods before the storm. The episode is one of the best-known ancient flood narratives and is often compared with Genesis.
The comparison should not erase the differences. Genesis gives Noah’s Ark a 300-by-50-by-30-cubit rectangular proportion, while the Gilgamesh boat is cubical in the surviving description. The two stories also use different names, settings, and narrative details.