Ugarit and Its Alphabet: A Bronze Age City near Latakia

Ugarit's alphabet is famous, but the tablets belonged to a city of homes, palaces, temples and people who wrote, read and kept records. Ras Shamra in the Latakia countryside helps bring the writing and its setting together.

An ancient city distinct from Latakia

France's Ministry of Culture research portal identifies Ugarit as a kingdom's capital at Ras Shamra, flourishing from the fourteenth to the early twelfth century BC. It should not be described as simply another historical name for modern Latakia. Source: Ugarit research portal

Nearby sites can be connected without being the same city or belonging to the same period. Keeping those distinctions clear makes the region's history easier to understand.

What excavation revealed

Ugarit's UNESCO Tentative List entry describes excavations beginning in 1929 and uncovering neighbourhoods, temples, fortifications, a royal palace and residences, alongside significant written records. Source: Ugarit Tentative List entry

At Ras Shamra, think about how these elements relate. Where was administration based? How were homes organised? What can writing add to what survives in walls? Such questions help scattered remains become a picture of a city.

Thirty alphabetic signs

The French portal explains that complete Ugaritic alphabet lists contain thirty signs and are read left to right. It identifies RS 12.033, excavated in the royal palace in 1948, as the first complete alphabet list found at the site. Source: RS 12.033

Alphabetic describes the writing system, whereas cuneiform describes the wedge-shaped marks made on clay. Understanding the distinction explains how alphabetic writing can also look cuneiform.

More than a claim to be the first alphabet

Calling Ugarit's writing the world's first alphabet requires careful comparison and a precise definition. The British Museum, for example, documents early Proto-Sinaitic writing on an object from Serabit el-Khadim. Ugarit's importance does not depend on one superlative. Its records help us understand writing and learning in a Bronze Age city. Comparative source: British Museum object EA41748

Combine reading with viewing the remains and confirm current visiting arrangements. When considering a photograph of a tablet, identify the museum holding that object: an Ugaritic tablet is not necessarily on display in Latakia. Accurate labels matter as much as accurate article titles.

Continue reading and plan your visit

• Ras Ibn Hani: Coastal Archaeology and Its Links to Ugarit
• Latakia Museum and Khan al-Dukhan: A Building’s Story