Which ancient Mesopotamian epic names Utnapishtim as its flood survivor?
Answer
Epic of Gilgamesh
Answer
Epic of Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh names Utnapishtim as its flood survivor.
In the flood episode of the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh how the god Ea warned him to build a boat and preserve life from a catastrophic flood. The account is one of the best-known flood narratives from ancient Mesopotamia and shares several broad motifs with the story of Noah’s Ark, including divine warning, a large vessel, surviving animals, and a post-flood sacrifice.
The Epic of Gilgamesh survives in cuneiform tablets written in Akkadian, with important material preserved in the library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh. Its flood story is related to older Mesopotamian traditions, especially the Atrahasis tradition.
Utnapishtim is not the name of the biblical survivor. Noah belongs to Genesis, while Utnapishtim belongs to the Mesopotamian epic. The comparison is a major subject in the study of ancient Near Eastern literature, but the texts are distinct works from different cultural settings.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026