Which ancient Mesopotamian epic features Utnapishtim, a flood survivor often compared with Noah?

The Epic of Gilgamesh features Utnapishtim, a flood survivor often compared with Noah.

In the flood story within the Epic of Gilgamesh, the god Ea warns Utnapishtim to build a boat and preserve life from a coming catastrophe. Utnapishtim later releases birds to discover whether the waters have receded. These features invite comparison with Genesis, where Noah builds an ark, preserves people and animals, and sends out birds.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a Mesopotamian literary work preserved on clay tablets in cuneiform. Its flood episode is especially prominent in Tablet XI of the Standard Babylonian version. The story is not simply another name for Noah’s Ark: Utnapishtim and Noah belong to different literary and religious traditions, with different divine characters, plot details, and theological framing.

Scholars study these similarities as part of the wider ancient Near Eastern flood-story tradition. The Atrahasis Epic is another important Mesopotamian parallel, featuring a flood survivor named Atrahasis. Identifying the Epic of Gilgamesh therefore requires distinguishing a related comparative text from the biblical account itself.