Gilgamesh: what does one tablet say about the flood?
Before comparing flood stories, look at an identified museum tablet. Its date and words set the bounds of the comparison.
Which tablet are you reading?
The British Museum record describes Sm.1881 as a fragment of Gilgamesh Tablet XI with the story of the flood. The tablet is a specific physical witness, not the complete history of the epic. British Museum ↗
A narrative is a cultural source
The text can inform study of literature and religious ideas. Establishing a particular flood event requires additional geological and archaeological evidence. British Museum ↗
Compare exact passages
Use a named edition and translation when comparing narratives. Shared features alone do not determine the direction, date, or mechanism of transmission. British Museum ↗