Which ancient Mesopotamian epic contains the flood story of Utnapishtim, a figure compared with Noah?

The Epic of Gilgamesh contains the flood story of Utnapishtim, a figure compared with Noah.

The flood episode appears in Tablet XI of the Standard Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh seeks Utnapishtim, who recounts how the god Ea warned him to build a boat and survive a divinely sent flood. The episode includes a boat, preserved life, birds sent to test the waters, and a sacrifice after survival.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the best-known works of ancient Mesopotamian literature. Its surviving versions were written in cuneiform on clay tablets, primarily in Akkadian, while earlier related material existed in Sumerian and other traditions. The poem’s central concern is Gilgamesh’s search for meaning and the limits of human life.

The flood story is also related to the Mesopotamian Atrahasis tradition, which predates the standard Gilgamesh version and features another hero. That overlap is why “Atrahasis” is a plausible but distinct answer. Utnapishtim’s specific account belongs to Gilgamesh.