Although many versions of the Epic of Gilgamesh exist, the poem is considered by many to be the oldest written tale in the world. Gilgamesh preceded the Book of Genesis in the Bible by more than a thousand years. However, there are many similarities worth examining. The most important theme shared by both works is that of a great flood that destroys all humanity. Although the reason for Gilgamesh's flood is not explicitly stated, it is evident that the assembly of the great gods, at Enlil's urging, brought the flood as judgment for the sins of mankind. The eleventh tablet of Gilgamesh, line 187, reads: “Punish the transgressor for his transgression, punish the transgressor for his transgression.” The very thing that motivated EnlilUtnapishtim and Noah also received detailed instructions on how the ships were to be built and which humans and animals could board the ships to withstand the flood. One of the most noteworthy passages of Gilgamesh contains the commandment of the gods to Utnapishtim to build the boat saying: “O man of Shurupak, son of Ubar-Tutu, destroy the house, build the boat; abandon possessions, seek life; objects reject and save lives! Bring the seed of all living beings on board the boat; the boat you will build; Measure its dimensions for all types of living things in the ship you will build. Its dimensions should be well measured” (143). In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim brings animals, family, and some others onto the ark built to withstand the flood, and Noah brought his family and various animals onto the ark he had built. The Book of Genesis says that Noah was commanded by the Lord to “Make you an ark of gopher wood; You shall make rooms in the ark and smear it with pitch inside and out. And this is the shape in which you will make it: the length of the ark will be three hundred cubits, the breadth fifty cubits, and the height thirty cubits. Floods may be a common occurrence in river valleys around the world, but the flood of Gilgamesh is caused primarily by the thunder god, Adad. Adad was aided by Shullat and Hanish, the destroyer gods, and Errakal, the god of death, and Ninurta, the god of war. Table eleven, line 108, tells us: “The extraordinary power of Adad passed over the heavens; What was light was transformed into darkness. He flooded the earth, shattered it like an earthen vessel!” (145). The origin of the flood of Gilgamesh refers to the deluge of rain caused by Adad and the god's thunderstorm. The Genesis account alludes to both rain and water from the earth as the source of the flood. “All the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.” “For in seven days I will rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will blot out from the face of the earth all the existing things that I have made.” (164). Both stories deal with the death of all living things on earth, except for the animals and humans on board the ark at the time of the