The story of the Great Flood has its origins in Sumer  the southern part of ancient Babylonia Even though the younger Epic of Atrahasis and the Epic of Gilgameš  written in Babylonian  change many details  they continue to refer to Šuruppak as the city of the hero of the Flood story  even though the Sumerian name of the hero  Ziusudra  has been changed into Atrahasis or Ut-napištim