The biblical account of the Flood and Noah's Ark may be the most famous of the accounts of an ancient flood that destroyed the Earth and how one family was saved from its destruction, but it is not the only one.
While working in the British Museum in 1872,George Adam Smith was studying a clay tablet recovered from Babylon when he dropped the tablet on the table and then went into, what is now diagnosed, as an epileptic fit sparked by the excitement of his discovery. The tablet told of a story that bore a remarkable resemblance to the Genesis account of the flood and ark. This story has since come to be known as the Gilgamesh Epic and is considered the oldest "flood myths" we have on record. The discovery kindled a debate whether the Bible had borrowed the story from older accounts and if other "flood myths" exist. Today historians recognize that stories of a world-changing catastrophy caused by a great flood exist in many cultures ranged around the world, suggesting that there may have been a world-wide flood at some some in our remembered past. Increasingly also geologists are finding evidences that these stories may well be supported by hard evidences (see David Montgomery below).
Resources:
David Montgomery, "Noah's Flood and the Development of Geology," Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, 10 April 2015. Note: David Montgomery is not a Christian but his presentation is characterized by balance and fairness.
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