The Flood Through Other Eyes

The Flood Through Other Eyes

Divine destruction of the world by means of a flood is known in cultures around the world. Most of these stories appear to have had their origin in the biblical account (Gen. 6:5—9:29). The ancient Near East, however, has numerous myths of the great flood, which are separate retellings of the same event producing numerous versions. Mesopotamian flood stories are first found written in the Sumerian language in the earliest known literature (third millennium B.C.). Two of the most famous are the Gilgamesh Epic and the story of Atrahasis.