Another Noah
History lovers certainly know about the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Mesopotamian epic poem. The Epic was recorded on 12 tablets, but two-thirds of the tablets have been recovered.
It tells the story of Gilgamesh on his journey to find eternal life, along the way he is told a story of the Great Flood. The flood in Gilgamesh’s story is oddly similar to the story of Noah’s ark.
Some Things Don’t Add Up
Outside of the evangelical historians, one of the biggest issues behind Noah’s ark is the occurrence of a world-wide flood that has never been back by science.
For a flood of that magnitude to take over the globe, there should be even the slightest evidence of its occurrence in the water levels in the soil.
DNA Evidence
In addition to the lack of geographical evidence, scientists question the flood myth because of a lack of DNA evidence as well.
If Noah and his family were the only survivors of the flood, then technically we should be able to trace DNA genealogy back to this one family over 4,600 years ago, considering that they were the ones who repopulated the earth.
A Cultural Phenomenon
Naturally, a story as compelling as Noah’s Ark was bound to be recreated in numerous artistic mediums. Some of the most recent iterations of the tale have become successful Hollywood movies.
Darren Aronofsky, the director of Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan, made his own version of Noah's Ark, starring Russell Crowe starring as the Biblical character. Steve Carrell has also starred as a Noah-like character in the film Evan Almighty.
Reconstructing The Ark
Ark enthusiasts from around the globe have invested millions of dollars in building their own versions. Like this Dutch carpenter who built a life-size replica of the massive vessel and even plans to sail it to Israel.
His ark even includes its very own wooden animals, the carpenter told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency “My preferred destination for the ark is Israel.”