In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim built the boat that survived the great flood.
The flood story appears in Tablet XI of the Standard Babylonian version of the epic. The god Ea warns Utnapishtim to abandon his possessions and build a large boat. Utnapishtim loads it with his family, craftsmen, animals, and possessions before the flood arrives.
The episode is frequently compared with the story of Noah’s Ark, but the two narratives are not identical. Utnapishtim releases birds to test whether the waters have receded, and he receives immortality afterward. The Mesopotamian flood tradition is preserved in cuneiform texts and is one of the most important ancient literary parallels to Genesis.