The supporters of the Bible take the Great Flood to account for the present state of Earth as the waters caused, in their opinion, the formation of deep valleys and canyons and the rise in the range of mountains. Then the waters drained in the hollows resulted from the elevation of the mountainous platforms. Opposed to this theory of immediate alterations in Earth's relief, scientists adopt the perspective of gradual processes that stretched across millions if not billions of years in order to produce today's planet state. Nevertheless, they don't exclude the fact there was indeed a flood, but not a global one.
What is intriguing is that the Bible is not the only ancient text speaking of such natural disasters. There are other cultures around the world that have legends related to big floods. Some of these civilizations are even in the same geographical region, namely the Middle East. In 1872, this area was the site of an astounding discovery: an ancient text that related a story very similar to that from Genesis. Written on a clay tablet that was excavated from the site of Kuyunjik (Mesopotamia), the text is a part of a greater document called the Epic of Gilgamesh.
In this saga, an immortal man called Utnapishtim narrates to Gilgamesh a story which is strikingly similar to that of Noah. According to this narrative, Utnapishtim replaces Noah and follows the instructions of the gods to build a boat that will save him and his family from a great flood that will be inflicted upon earth and humans because of their vicious lifestyle. The rain lasts only seven days, the boat comes to rest on a mountain and, upon disembarkation, Utnapishtim brings an offering to the gods on an altar. The similarity is baffling, making researchers ask themselves whether this is a confirmation of the biblical text or it is just a distorted version. On the other hand, there is the possibility of the author of the Genesis to have borrowed from the Epic of Gilgamesh. Or are the two texts just separate illustrations of a wider regional myth, legend or historical memory?
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