Page 136 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol V

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the first century BCE. One of history’s unresolved mysteries help us better understand the history of literacy in early
surrounds the virtual abandonment of this strategically and late antiquity. The corpus of Ugaritic literature con-
vital site after the twelfth century BCE. sists of a rich and varied assortment of genres.The major
At its cultural high point, the population of Ugarit and edited collection of these texts (KTU) has identified lit-
its surrounding kingdom reached thirty-one thousand to erary and religious texts, letters, legal texts, economic
thirty-three thousand persons, about six thousand to texts, scribal exercises, and inscriptions on objects, as well
eight thousand of whom lived in the city proper, with as some texts that are unclassified and others that are
another twenty-five thousand occupying a vast array of illegible or fragmentary.
rural villages surrounding it. It was one of several inde- Ugarit was historically a prosperous and politically sta-
pendent coastal Levantine city-states that flourished dur- ble city governed by a single dynasty. Although less than
ing the Middle Bronze II and Late Bronze Periods. The half of the site has been fully excavated, evidence of intri-
city’s location on a land bridge of strategic importance to cate urban planning, with particular attention to public
these kingdoms, several of which had colonies and impe- works, including city walls, streets, water works, and
rial holdings throughout the Near East, had a profound sewage facilities, has been found. Ugarit’s monarch
impact on its history. During the period in question, the shared power with a prefect, queen, and nobles. Mem-
city enjoyed a high degree of prosperity due in large part bers of the royal family also exercised some influence in
to favorable climactic conditions and its leaders’ ability to the determination of affairs of state. Its society was strat-
negotiate political arrangements with the city’s powerful ified, though not in a rigid manner. Vertical and hori-
neighbors. Of particular importance in this regard were zontal movement was possible. Although it was a
the establishment of détente with Egypt, the formation of patriarchal society, women were afforded a number of
a protective alliance with the Amurru kingdom located to rights and privileges.They could inherit family property,
its immediate south, and eventual accession to vassalage if so designated by the appropriate male head of house-
under the Hittite empire located to its north. hold (i.e., a father or husband), designate heirs, initiate
The city’s native language, Ugaritic, has affinities with proceedings for divorce and adoption, purchase and dis-
Hebrew and other Canaanite dialects and is part of the pense of property, and retain control of the possessions
Afroasiatic phylum. It is written in an alphabetic cunei- brought into a marital arrangement in the event of dis-
form script consisting of thirty signs. Ugaritic writing is solution. The populace was separated into two large
almost strictly consonantal. Vowels are indicated very classes. The first consisted of “men of the king.” These
sparingly. Future study of this language and its script is were craft specialists, warriors, and members of other
likely to shed additional light on the development of writ- elite groups retained by the monarch for service to the
ing systems in Phoenicia and Greece. It also promises to crown. The second was made up of the members of the

1913