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96 operations in southeast Africa, he also organized the transpor- tation of the ores to the Edin in cargo vessels; they were nicknamed "Abzu ships" and it was in emulation of them that Atra-hasis was to build the Tzulili. And, as we have mentioned, it was on one of the trips by an Abzu-boat that Ea "carried off" the young Ereshkigal. A seasoned sailor and an expert shipbuilder, it was he, more than any other one of the Anunnaki, who could devise and design the ingenious boat that could withstand the Deluge. Noah's Ark and its construction are key components of the Deluge tale, for without such a boat Mankind would have perished as Enlil had wished. The tale of the boat has a bearing on another aspect of the pre-Diluvial era; for it re- states familiarity with and use of boats in those early times— aspects already mentioned in the Adapa tale. All this cor- roborates the existence of pre-Diluvial shipping, and thus the incredible Cro-Magnon depictions of boats in their Cave Art—see Fig. 15. When the construction of the boat was completed and _ its outfitting and loading done as Enki had directed, Atra-hasis DIVINE ENCOUNTERS Figures 24a and 24b