Ugarit

ancient port city in northern Syria

Ugarit (/jˈɡɑːrɪt, -/;[1] Ugaritic: 𐎜𐎂𐎗𐎚, ʼUgart; Arabic: أُوغَارِيت Ūġārīt or أُوجَارِيت Ūǧārīt) was an ancient port city in northern Syria. It is in the outskirts of modern Latakia. It was discovered by accident in 1928 together with the Ugaritic texts.[2] Its ruins are often called Ras Shamra[3] due to the headland on which they are found.

Ugarit
Entrance to the Royal Palace of Ugarit
Ugarit is located in Near East
Ugarit
Shown within Near East
Ugarit is located in Syria
Ugarit
Ugarit (Syria)
Alternate nameRas Shamra (Arabic: رأس شمرة)
LocationLatakia Governorate, Syria
RegionFertile Crescent
Coordinates35°36′07″N 35°46′55″E / 35.602°N 35.782°E / 35.602; 35.782
Typesettlement
History
Foundedc. 6000 BCE
Abandonedc. 1190 BCE
PeriodsNeolithicLate Bronze Age
CulturesCanaanite
EventsBronze Age collapse
Site notes
Excavation dates1928–present
ArchaeologistsClaude F. A. Schaeffer
Conditionruins
OwnershipPublic
Public accessYes

Ugarit had close connections to the Hittite Empire. It also sent tribute to Egypt at times and maintained trade and diplomatic connections with Cyprus (then called Alashiya).[4][5] This is documented in the archives recovered from the site. It is confirmed by Mycenaean and Cypriot pottery found there. The polity was at its height from c. 1450 BCE until its destruction in c. 1200 BCE. This destruction was possibly caused by the mysterious Sea Peoples or internal struggle. The kingdom would be one of the many that fell apart during the Bronze Age Collapse.

References change

  1. "Ugarit". Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
  2. Huehnergard, John (2012). An Introduction to Ugaritic. Hendrickson Publishers. ISBN 978-1-59856-820-2.
  3. Sometimes written "Ras Shamrah"; Arabic: رأس شمرة, literally "Cape Fennel"). See [1].
  4. Whittaker, Helène; Hofsten, Helène Whittaker von (1997). Mycenaean Cult Buildings: A Study of Their Architecture and Function in the Context of the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. ISBN 9788291626031.
  5. "Searching for the Lost City of Copper". History Magazine. 2017-03-23. Retrieved 2021-01-15.