The Site of Ugarit
Situated on the North West Syrian coast, the site of Ugarit occupies 30 hectares 20m above sea level.
It was discovered by chance in 1928 when a farmer ploughed up stones later found to be from the city’s mausoleums. Finds from the subsequent excavations were compared to descriptions found in the records of the ancient city of Mari in northern Syria and Tell al Amarna in Egypt. The site was identified as ancient Ugarit.
Only a quarter of the ancient city has been excavated. However, what remains is unique. Its principle buildings were constructed from stone rather than the easily eroded mud brick that was more usual in the Levant in this period, allowing more of the city to survive. The development of the Ugaritic alphabet also meant that writing was more widespread amongst the population. An unprecedented number of public and private archives and libraries have been discovered containing writings on the economy, politics, religion and general way of life not only of Ugarit but the whole of the Levant and eastern Mediterranean.
Ugarit’s Beginnings
The current site was first occupied in the Neolithic. Surrounded by rich agricultural land, Ugarit produced wood, grain, and wine that it began to trade with settlements in the Upper Euphrates in the 7th millennium BC. By the 3rd millennium, its trade connections had spread to include the lower Euphrates and Mesopotamia. Its close coastal links to the eastern Mediterranean meant that it was perfectly placed to transport copper from Cyprus for the production of bronze.
Ugarit and Trade
By the 16th century BC, Ugarit’s harbour was importing metal, perfumes and exporting the bronze goods built at its port as well as its own agricultural goods and cloth dyed with locally produced dye from murex shells.
By now, it had established a trading empire that went beyond the Euphrates area to include Egypt and the Aegean. With this expansion came increased economic prosperity. Ugarit maintained both by remaining neutral in the political disputes between its trading partners. In this way, it remained on good terms with both the Hittites and the Egyptians despite their bitter enmity
However, goods were not the only thing that Ugarit traded; it also exchanged knowledge and technologies. Its alphabet, which evolved from complex pictorial cuneiform into a more accessible phonetic form, became the basis for the Greek and Latin alphabets
The Golden Age of Ugarit
The development of the alphabet in the 14th century BC marked the golden age of the city. Much of what remains today dates from this period and was constructed in the wake of an earthquake and tidal wave. The building techniques used were unique in the Levant. Designed to insulate against heat and cold and withstand earthquakes, they incorporated sophisticated methods of supplying water and draining waste.
Several major areas relating to this period have been excavated. They include the royal palace, the commercial and residential areas and the temples of Baal and Dagon on the cities acropolis, and the city’s port 1km to the north west of the city. Here was the harbour for Ugarit’s 100 strong commercial fleet as well as the base for the city’s industry of bronze working
The End of Ugarit
Ugarit may have been weakened by a further earthquake that destroyed the infrastructure of the city, affecting its ability to trade. However, its fall and destruction can also be attributed to the rise of the Phoenicians who were conquering the whole of the Levant coastline at the time of the early Iron Age. Also known as ‘the sea people’, this new culture was able to erode the superiority of the old for the same reason that Ugarit rose: access to the technologies of a new age.
Sources
Ugarit: History and Archaeology by Jamal Hassan Haydar
Monuments of Syria: A Historical Guide by Ross Burns. I. B Tauris Publishers. London: New York.1999.
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