Why call it an “ark” instead of boat or ship?
It’s the sort of question a 5-year-old asks, and she might be told that an ark is a special type of boat. We are so used to thinking we know all about Noah’s Ark that we automatically accept that it was a sailing vessel, despite the meaning of the word:
Ark: The word “ark” (הבת) probably comes from the Egyptian load word tbt which means “box” or “chest.”
http://www.bibleandscience.com/bible/books/genesis/flood.htm
This is strange terminology for a boat or ship, and would only serve to confuse. Even more confusing, the other major use of the word ark in the Bible is regarding the Ark of the Covenant – this is not known as a boat.
When we look at the two most substantial pre-Biblical texts that tell the story of Noah, there are also indications that the original story did not concern a boat.
In the Epic of Gilgamesh the ark was described as being 120 cubits long, 120 cubits wide & 120 cubits high. If it is a regular shape, then that would make it a cube. Cubes do not make good boat shapes, and I’d say it would have great difficulty staying upright. What else could have a square base and great height? Perhaps a pyramid or ziggurat?
Concerning the relation between Ark and ziqqurat, Lehmann Haupt concluded that the ziqqurats represented ships turned upside down and were a reminder of “the vessel that brought the Sumerian invaders to the northern shore of the Persian Gulf.”
Interestingly, even though the flood destroyed everything, Gilgamesh also says:
When a seventh day arrived I sent forth a dove and released it.
The dove went off, but came back to me; no perch was visible so it circled back to me.
I sent forth a swallow and released it. The swallow went off, but came back to me;
no perch was visible so it circled back to me.
I sent forth a raven and released it. The raven went off, and saw the waters slither back.
It eats, it scratches, it bobs, but does not circle back to me.
Then I sent out everything in all directions and sacrificed (a sheep).
I offered incense in front of the mountain-ziggurat.
Either there was a ziggurat high in the mountains, where the ark ended its journey, or the ark is a ziggurat (in which case it never went anywhere).
The third text is Avesta that tells the Noah’s ark story according to the Zoroastrians. It could be the earliest version of the story, and one strong factor leads me to believe it is. God did not cover the mountains with water (which is physically impossible), but instead created a mini-Ice Age. And consequently, there was no boat mentioned – they survived in an underground village.
Bible: Wooden box
Gilgamesh: Cube or irregular shape, sounds very much like a pyramid/ziggurat
Avesta: Underground village
They are the key descriptions we have of the ark. Where the stories mention implausible floods, and floating/alighting, I would consider these to be embellishments. My suggestion is that a cataclysm caused a mini-Ice Age and a tsunami circa 3000BC – perhaps an asteroid collision, or an earthquake/volcano combo. The best way to survive these events would be either underground (like a bunker) or in a mad-made mountain (like a pyramid).
Perhaps in Iran (home of the Zoroastrians), one can find a location that has both underground villages and ziggurats? Perhaps royalty sheltered in the ziggurat, and their subjects were underground?
Stay tuned 
Related posts:
Good question, but why would someone have used in ancient times an Egyptian word to describe the vessel when the origin of the story seems to be Sumerian? The story of Noah is based on historical, proven facts: Austen Henry Layard found the ancient Nineveh library, where, the story of the deluge was already described in cuneiform tables that told the story of a man who did what the fictional character of Noah did. The story of the deluge is told on at least three or four Sumerian and Babylonian epics, including those of Gilgamesh and Atrahasis, so it seems to me that unless the Old Testament included later an interpretation made in Egypt or using fashionable practices of the time, it would seem more likely that the ark would have been described using Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian or even Hittite words.
Another thought on the “underground villages” may be also in reference to “The Hollow Earth Theory” also know as Agartha a world within a world.