Socio-economic history of the Ugarit Kingdom

Cuneiform tablets in many languages have been unearthed thanks to archaeological excavations that began in 1928 in the country of Ugarit, which was a key point of Eastern Mediterranean trade in the 2nd millennium BC. The main sources of the study, cuneiform tablets in Akkadian, Hurrian, Ugaritic languages and works based on archaeological findings (PRU, KTU, RS, RSO, UGARITICA), provide information about the political, social, economic and religious life of the country. Moreover, these sources also reveal the cosmopolitan population structure of the country. Ugarit came under the rule of Egypt and then the Hittite State, and was distinguished from other cities in Northern Syria in many ways. When we look at the social structure of the country, it is noticeable that although the society is divided into classes, there is no sharp line between the classes. However, since the documents generally include the activities of the king and members of the dynasty, information about the daily life of the people does not take up much space in the documents. It is also possible to see the limited knowledge about daily life in the religious life of Ugarit. However, limited information shows that the Ugaritic society had a polytheistic religion and that they were influenced by Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Canaanite societies in terms of the names and duties of their gods and goddesses. On the other hand, Ugarit is an important actor in the formation of a common cultural heritage, as the writing system it used contributed to the formation of the alphabetic writing style used today. The country's climate and geographical location have played an important role in shaping both agricultural and commercial activities. In addition to agricultural production, commercial activities in the country have become even richer thanks to metalworking and craftsmanship. In this regard, raw materials that were not available in the country were imported, processed and exported. Therefore, a metallurgical industry specific to the country of Ugarit emerged. Another importance of Ugarit is its role as an intermediary in commercial activities. As a matter of fact, goods coming from other regions were collected in the important ports of Ugarit and transported to other countries via Ugarit, both by land and sea. The contacts that Ugarit achieved in this way influenced the entire political and cultural history of the kingdom.