Ugarit

Was the discovery of the ruins of the ancient Syrian city of Ugarit in archaeological hill today named head fennel, just three kilometers from the northeastern tip of the current city of Latakia.

In 1928, was found by chance on a cemetery in a field located near the Gulf of enamel in the village of al-Baida Tower reeds, and this discovery was the starting point of the investigation and exploration in Tel head of fennel.

Began excavation work on this site in each of the Mina al-Baida and Big Hill erectus to the east in 1929 and continued to 1939, where he stopped because of World War II, only to return after the war, and continues to now by the archaeological mission French relay its work under the supervision of the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums in Syria.

Exploration showed the presence of eight ten oldest layer back to the second half of the seventh millennium BC, to the Neolithic period, and then rolled layers that indicate the continuation of human activity in ancient times and eras through eras Ancient Bronze, which began in the top of fennel about 2900 years BC. most of the population in that era of the Canaanites, and show some of the effects and the number discovered in Iraq and camels, that the city was named after «Ugarit» about 2500 years BC, which is derived from the word «Ogaaro» meaning that field Akkadian language.

The city expanded in the Middle Bronze Age between 2000 BC and 1600 BC and appeared Acropolis in its eastern side, and a delegation to Alhurion and mingled with a population Canaanites, and had Ugarit good contacts with Egypt, Crete and the Kingdom of Mary. The city took the full significance of political, commercial and cultural rights in the modern Bronze Age after 1600 BC where it has established friendly relations with the neighboring states and kingdoms down to Egypt. And reached its peak in the third era of the Late Bronze Age from about 1370 BC until the year 1182 BC.

Available information about this era is very rich, because every number written, and most of the buildings and artifacts uncovered, dating back to it. The show of political activity and economic, cultural and military big she experienced the city in that period, and its relations Balhthein and its alliance with them and the kings who ruled and their alliances with the Hittites and their participation in the wars against the Egyptians and the extent of prosperity and sang the kingdom, which stretched from Mount Aqra north to the River Age in the south. And show the establishment of the royal family in the days Amistmr II, who ruled between 1260 and 1230 BC to the top of Ibn Hani as the seat of the royal family. Down to the last king of the city King Amorave, which devastated the city in his reign when the Sea Peoples invaded in 1182 and spent the year on the Syrian coast cities did not list the Ugarit thereafter.

The effects of Ugarit

Did not show archaeological excavations so far only one-third of the city and the most important thing appeared, including the neighborhood administrative (official) and spearheaded the royal palace lavish with its accessories, and the fortifications of the city, and analgesic military ruler, and the Palace of the Queen, and broad sections of the city's neighborhoods as a live temples and temple god DEC and the Temple of the god Baal, the library and the number of large graves, in addition to economic installations such as olive presses and the Palace of the Department of Foreign Trade and shops and tools that were used. Where active Alawgaretyon agriculture, crafts and maritime trade.

Ugarit alphabet

Is a function discoveries on cultural life and written documents the most important discoveries head of fennel; where it was found that between 1929 and 1988 to 3557 clay tablet. Unique to documents discovered at the head of fennel diversity, which is dealing with different fields, and most of the texts written on clay tablets in a language Canaanite Western include legends and religious rituals, and a tips and rule, and official correspondence and private, and the texts of management include the names of employees, dealers and lists of names of towns and villages of the kingdom, and the texts moral, and legal documents, local and international treaties, and classroom exercises on writing and dictionaries lists vocabulary Oogarritah and corresponding languages ​​Sumerian, Akkadian and nymph, and editions of stamps, and there texts of a scientific nature or encyclopedic including tablet large the names of fish and birds then known, and the types of fabrics and months of the year, and there User weights and spaces and sizes, but the discovery the most important is the discovery of the oldest alphabet in the world dating back to the fourteenth century BC, comprises thirty characters or signal cuneiform every indication of which symbolizes a consonant independently of the sound, as is the case in the alphabets of modern order is common in that It is time the same order in the Greek alphabet and the language of the Arabic alphabet, and was written from left to right.

Distributed relics unearthed at museums Damascus, Aleppo and Latakia, as well as the Louvre Museum in France.