Which ancient Mesopotamian epic includes Utnapishtim’s account of a catastrophic flood?

The Epic of Gilgamesh includes Utnapishtim’s account of a catastrophic flood.

In the epic, Gilgamesh seeks Utnapishtim to learn how he obtained eternal life. Utnapishtim responds by recounting how the god Ea warned him to build a boat and preserve life before a devastating flood. The story is embedded within Gilgamesh’s broader search for meaning and a way to overcome mortality.

The flood episode shares several recognizable elements with Genesis, including a chosen survivor, a large vessel, preservation of living things, birds sent after the waters, and a post-flood offering. Scholars study these similarities as evidence of a wider ancient Near Eastern flood-story tradition, while also noting important differences in plot, theology, measurements, and characterization.

The Enuma Elish is a Babylonian creation epic, not the work containing Utnapishtim’s flood narrative. Atrahasis is another relevant Mesopotamian flood text, but the question’s specific Utnapishtim episode belongs to the Epic of Gilgamesh.