Which earlier Mesopotamian epic features Utnapishtim, a flood survivor comparable to Noah?

The Epic of Gilgamesh features Utnapishtim, a flood survivor comparable to Noah.

In the flood account embedded in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the god Ea warns Utnapishtim to build a large boat and preserve life from a devastating flood. Utnapishtim later releases birds to determine whether the waters have receded, creating notable parallels with the Genesis story.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is preserved in Babylonian and Assyrian cuneiform traditions, with important tablets found at Nineveh in the library of Ashurbanipal. Its flood narrative is part of the longer story of Gilgamesh and his search for the secret of immortality.

Utnapishtim is not Noah under a different name; they are characters in separate literary traditions. Scholars compare the stories because of shared motifs such as divine warning, a boat, preserved life, birds, and a receding flood.