Since Ugaritic has such important implications for the Israelite religion and politics, I think this background is very helpful for us as we learn more about the Council of the Gods, the sociological makeup of units of military and family groupings, their political issues, etc.
UGARIT An ancient town in northern Syria whose remains have been identified at Ras Shamra; situated near a small harbor named Minet el-Beida (‘white harbor’). Excavation of the site began in 1929 under C.F.A. Schaeffer and G. Chenet, on behalf of the French Academy. The site was inhabited as early as the Neolithic period. In the Chalcolithic period it had already developed a relatively rich culture, which shows Mesopotamian influence. It was a key point on the route leading from
Mesopotamiato Crete and it was by this route that elements of the Mesopotamian culture reached the Mediterranean islands. The arrival of West Semitic settlers in the second half of the 3rd millennium bc brought great prosperity to Ugarit, which then became the great commercial center through which goods originating in Asia Minor, the Aegean island and Egypt were interchanged.
Politically Ugarit was under Egyptian influence. With the great upheavals of the 18th century bc, which culminated in the formation of the Hyksos kingdom, a new element, the Horites, made its appearance in Ugarit. But their efforts to form an anti-Egyptian party failed, the older West Semitic element still prevailing. After the overthrow of the Hyksos rulers and their expulsion from Egypt in the second half of the 16th century bc, Egyptian influence revived and the city was even forced to admit an Egyptian garrison. But this did not impair Ugarit’s prosperity, and it continued to thrive in the 15th and 14th centuries bc.
The huge fortunes accumulated there had a direct effect on the technical and cultural development of the city, which increased in size and included among its numerous merchants and artists people from the Aegean, Cyprus and Mycenae. The houses of this period are large and richly furnished, and beneath them are tombs no less magnificent. The city boasted two large temples, one dedicated to Baal, the other to Dagon. In the harbor district large storehouses werediscovered, with numerous jars still in situ. The city’s art objects, pottery vessels (local and imported) stone, bone, ivory and metal objects all attest to its great prosperity.
In the middle of the 14th century bc Ugarit was destroyed in a great conflagration. Even before this calamity the Hittites were pressing it hard, though the El Amarna letters show that the rulers of Ugarit still remained loyal to Egypt. But their loyalty was in vain: when the great battle between Egypt and the Hittites raged in the early 13th century bc, Ugaritic contingents fought on the site of the Hittites. When peace was finally restored Ugarit prospered again. without interruption, until the arrival of the Sea Peoples (Philistines) at the beginning of the 12th century bc. The city never recovered from this conquest and all that remained thereafter was a poor town.
Ugarit is of the utmost importance to research into the development of the Canaanite script and literature, for in addition to the Accadian documents and Horite dictionaries, documents written in a special script have been found there. This is an alphabetic, cuneiform and consonant script, belonging to the Canaanite family but closer to biblical Hebrew. The most important literature in it consists of epic songs in which the deeds of gods and heroes are praised. There is much in common, both in language and in content, between these epics and the biblical literature.
Avraham Negev, The Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land. 3rd ed. New York : Prentice Hall Press, 1996, c1990
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