3. Mesopotamian Flood Stories
As with the creation stories, there are notable ancient Middle Eastern tales of a flood that, in some cases, display close parallels to the biblical account. In the Deluge Tablet, Ziusudra survived a flood sent by the gods by building a boat. In the Gilgamesh Epic, Utnapishtim survived a flood and was granted eternal life. The Atrahasis Epic also has a flood component (see above).