Near East Constellation Panels: Utnapishtim, Noah,
and the Deluge Remembered in the Sky
Ronald P. Olowin
St. Mary's College
Besides the narrative of the Deluge given to us in
Genesis, there are striking points of resemblance to the eleventh tablet
of the "Epic of Gilgamesh" that may reasonably be supposed to have a common
origin. The pictorial representation, as told in a huge panel of Southern
Constellations, testifies to an event that had enormous impact on human
living. With recent geophysical information, the Deluge story can be associated
with an epoch in time, giving us an historical marker to map the events.
We argue that the Constellations remain as a visual mnemonic of this event
and review the historical cartographic imagery describing it, from Aratus
to Hevelius.