Ugarit, Al Mina, and Coastal North Syria

Abstract

The kingdom of Ugarit was located south of Mukish. South of Ugarit one can find the kingdom of Siyannu, which was under Ugaritic hegemony until it gained its independence around 1300 BC. By the beginning of the 14th century, Egypt controlled the Levant up to the area of Ugarit, but the nature of Egypt's political control over Ugarit is difficult to define. The Neo‐ or Syro‐Hittite states were firmly established in North Syria in c. 900‐600 BC period. Al Mina's history is predominantly based on its archaeological record, especially on the ceramics discovered there. Al Mina's record from the first half of the 7th century is particularly noteworthy, given that Greek imports are absent from other Levantine sites. Ugarit, Al Mina, and the other trading ports along the north Syrian coast fulfilled a vital role in the kingdoms and empires of the Near East.