Suren2,

I think the legends of the flood are really, really old and would have been well known by the people living in asia minor. There is speculation that the bosphorus strait did not exist thousands of years ago and the that area was a natural dam, holding back water from the Aegean and Marmara from going into the Black Sea. Eventually pressure broke through, creating the straight and flooding into the Black Sea for days on end. This raised the water level along the coast and those living along the edges had to essentially flee. They have found settlements along the edges below the sea level. The assumption is that those living there would have dispersed, and spread the story of the great flood. Very interesting idea, but speculation nonetheless.