Both you and aceresearcher did a remarkable job. However, you pointed
the direction first and have earned the crown. While information from
University of South Africa gives a 90% + chance the letter to Gadates
is the right one, or points in the right direction, the search goes
on.
The response from Queensland University was as follows:
Hi R***
I just read this one! It is entirely possible that my memory has
become
blurred - you have fingered my secret fear!!! But the memory still
nags at
me vividly - insisting that such a letter exists. It was definitely a
Persian ruler to a satrap in the Imperial era in which there was no
doubt
re: the ruler's displeasure in finding out that the satrap had not
got on
with his assigned task of digging and attending to his quota of wells
(I
imagine that means qanats). I can only imagine that it was Darius.
Thank you for your extraordinary efforts and those of your friends
and
associates across the world! Please do not be concerned if it cannot
be
found easily. I will not stop until I have found it anyway and when I
do, I
too will have something to share with you!!!
Catherine
I am still waiting to hear from Oxford. In the meantime, you have
been an important part of a project involving researchers on three
continents.
When and if another letter is found, and if you are interested, I will
let you know. In the meantime, I think the ancient water management
project will be occupying ever more of my time. It is sort of fun
being a retired archaeologist called in to work on a project about a
subject of which I knew next to nothing. But life does have its
strange turns.
Thanks again for a good job - both of you.
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