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285 days of Khedorla'‘omer"; and Hammurabi was now demanding their return to Babylon, from where Khedorla'omer had taken them captive. This can only mean that Khedorla'omer's days were long before Hammurabi's lime. Supporting our reading of the Hammurabi letter found by Father Scheil in the Constantinople Museum is the fact that Hammurabi repeated the demand for the return of the goddesses to Babylon in yet another stiff message to Sin-Idinna. this time sending it by the hand of high military officers. This second letter is in the British Museum (No. 23,131) and its text was published by L. W. King in The Letters and Inscriptions of Hammurabi: Unto Sin-Idinna thus sayeth Hammurabi: I am now despatching Zikir-ilishu, the Transport Officer. and Hammurabi-bani, the Frontline Officer, that they may bring the goddesses who are in Emutbal. That the goddesses were to be returned from Larsa to Babylon is made clear in the letter's further instructions: Thou shall cause the goddesses to journey in a processional boat as in a shrine, that they may come to Babylon. The temple-women shall accompany them. For food of the goddesses thou shalt load pure cream and cereals unto the boat; sheep and provisions thou shalt put on board for the sustenance of the temple-women. [enough] for the journey to reach Babylon. And thou shalt appoint men to tow the boat, and chosen soldiers to bring the goddesses to Babylon in safety. Delay them not: let them speedily reach Babylon. It is thus clear from these letters that Hammurabi—a foe, not an ally, of Larsa—was seeking restitution for events that had hap- pened long before his time, in the days of Kudur-Laghamar, the Elamite regent of Larsa. The texts of the Hammurabi letters thus affirm the existence of Khedorla'omer and of Elamite reign in Larsa ("Ellasar"), and thus of key elements in the biblical tale. Which is the period into which these key elements fit? As historical records have established, it was Shulgi who in the Abraham: The Fateful Years