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297 daughters and sons, and often themselves, to high-priestly posi- tions, resulting in the commingling of the royal and priestly lin- eages. Votive inscriptions found at Nippur (as those by the archaeological expeditions of the University of Pennsylvania) con- firm that the kings of Ur cherished the title "Pious Shepherd of Nippur" and performed there priestly functions; and the governor of Nippur (PA.TE.SI NIIB.RU) was also the Foremost UR.ENLIL ("Enlil's Foremost Servant"). Some of the names borne by these royal-priestly VIPs resembled Abraham's Sumerian name (AB.RAM), also beginning with the component AB ("Father" or "Progenitor"); such, for example, was the name AB.BA.MU of a governor of Nippur during Shulgi's reign. That a family of people so closely associated with Nippur that they were called "Nippurians" (i.e., "Hebrews") were neverthe- less holding high positions in Ur is a suggestion that is in complete accord with the actual circumstances prevailing in Sumer at the time indicated by us; for it was then, at the lime of the Ur II Dy- nasty, that for the first time in divine affairs and Sumerian history Nannar and the king of Ur were granted trusteeship over Nippur, combining the religious and secular functions. It thus could have well been that when Ur-Nammu assumed the throne in Ur. Terah moved with his family from Nippur to Ur, perhaps to serve as a li- aison between the temple in Nippur and the royal palace in Ur. Their stay in Ur lasted throughout Ur-Nammu's reign; it was in the year of his death, as we have shown, that the family left Ur for Harran. What the family did at Harran is nowhere stated, but considering the royal lineage and priestly standing, it must have belonged to the hierarchy of Harran. The ease with which Abraham dealt, later on, with various kings suggests that he was involved in Harran's for- eign affairs; his special friendship with the Hittite residents of Ca- naan, who were known for their military experience, may shed a light on the question of where Abraham himself had acquired the military proficiency which he employed so successfully during the War of the Kings. Ancient traditions also depict Abraham as greatly versed in astronomy—a knowledge then valuable for long journeys guided by the stars. According to Josephus, Berossus referred to Abra- ham, without naming him, when he wrote of the rise "among the Chaldeans, of a certain righteous and great man who was well seen Abraham: The Fateful Years