Which ancient Mesopotamian text tells the flood story of Atrahasis?

The Epic of Atrahasis is the ancient Mesopotamian text that tells the flood story of Atrahasis.

Written in Akkadian, the poem explains the creation of humans, divine complaints about human noise, and the decision to send a devastating flood. The god Enki warns Atrahasis, who builds a boat and preserves living beings. The narrative then explains why human mortality, infertility, and other limits exist.

The best-known Old Babylonian version dates to the seventeenth century BCE, although parts of the story circulated in other forms. The poem is an important comparison for the flood episode in the Epic of Gilgamesh, where the survivor is called Utnapishtim.

Atrahasis is not the name of the work’s god or city; it is the name of its human hero. The text is also different from Enuma Elish, which primarily describes the rise of Marduk and the creation of the ordered cosmos.