What is the name of the Mesopotamian flood story whose hero is Atrahasis?

The Mesopotamian flood story whose hero is Atrahasis is called the Epic of Atrahasis.

The Atrahasis Epic is an Akkadian composition preserved on clay tablets. Its hero receives a warning about a catastrophic flood and builds a boat to survive. The story includes divine conflict, the destruction of humanity, and the preservation of life, making it an important comparison for scholars studying ancient Near Eastern flood traditions.

The work is older than the Standard Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh that contains the Utnapishtim episode. A flood narrative from Atrahasis was incorporated and reshaped in later literary traditions. The texts share broad motifs but are not identical retellings.

The title can appear in several spellings, including Atra-Hasis and Atrahasis. That variation reflects the transliteration of ancient languages rather than different stories. “Epic of Atrahasis” is the conventional English title for the work centered on this wise human survivor.