datation
2nd millennium BC
provenance
Ugarit
area
period
size
8.5 cm x 74 cm
materials
themes
The Kingdom of Ugarit was distinguished by its open international relations. Egyptian finds discovered in Ugarit reveal strong ties between the two countries in the 2nd millennium BC. So when a sword is discovered in Ugarit carrying the name of the Egyptian pharaoh Mineptah, we can wonder: 'Was this sword produced in Ugarit to be exported to Egypt, or was it a present from the pharaoh of Egypt to the ruler of Ugarit?'
The sword is of medium length, about 70 cm, and it is made of bronze. At the hilt, it is inscribed in Hieroglyphic the name of the pharaoh of Egypt, Mineptah, who was one of the pharaohs of the 19th dynasty. The hilt of the sword may have originally been made of wood or ivory but it is missing now. This object was found together with a collection of other swords and weapons.
datation
18th century AD
provenance
Damascus
area
period
size
15 cm x 21 cm
themes
There are various forms of Arabic calligraphy. At its beginning, the Arabic calligraphy can be broadly categorized into two forms. The first is geometrical and angular, and the second is curved and flowing. From these two calligraphic methods emerged various styles. The Kufic script, the oldest and most venerable of the geometric calligraphies, can be executed with flowered edges or with geometrical knots, for example. While the cursive scripts include Thuluth, Raqaa and al-Nasekh etc.
The copier of manuscripts had to know very well the many arts of calligraphy in order to be a master in his work. He must use the ink with expertise, sharpen the pen correctly, cut it and hold it gracefully, all so that the movement of his hand during the writing of manuscripts is perfect (also for the talents of a manuscript copier). There is a highly respected methodology to the art of calligraphy. The dot, as the pure prime beginning of all writing, has deep mystical value while also being a physical measure for the dimensions of all the other letters in the alphabet. In this illustrative calligraphy manuscript, black ink is used to draw the letters, while diacritical marks are in red ink.
datation
14th century BC
provenance
Ugarit
area
period
size
1.3 cm x 5.1 cm
materials
themes
This clay tablet was discovered at the site of Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra) located along the Syrian coast, 10 km north of Latakia. Ugarit was the capital city of the Empire bearing the same name.
The Ugarit excavations present important collections of cuneiform tablets. These tablets reveal the usage of cuneiform script to write various different languages including Sumerian, Acadian- Babylonian, Hurrian, Cypriote, Aegean and Hittite. Also discovered were Egyptian Hieroglyphic scripts. This wide diversity of languages indicates the richness and notability of Ugarit among the nations of the old world, particularly in terms of communication, commercial interaction and cultural openness. It is evident that the scribes of Ugarit knew of the various people’s scripts and languages and used them in their commercial correspondences.
Yet, the greatest role of this city is the thinking of its people and the development of the first ever phonetically based script. To transcend the accumulation of various languages and the confusion this caused, the people of Ugarit developed their own writing system. They changed the cuneiform script to represent the sounds of their spoken tongue. While previously writing was only for a special class of rulers or priests, the people of Ugarit put into writing their own everyday language, and made the capacity for writing and the preservation of knowledge more widely available.
They abbreviated hundreds of cuneiform syllables into the 29 letters representing sounds used in the spoken language of the people of Ugarit. Thus the first alphabet was created and the history of writing was transformed.
The alphabet of Ugarit was found transcribed on some small tablets in the royal palace of the city which was discovered in 1948. This tablet is read from left to right and its letters are ordered phonetically in a manner which we later find in the Canaanite, Aramaic and Arabic written letters. Speaking to the French Academy in 17 February 1950, the scientist Charles Virolleaud said: "There is no doubt that we will not know the name of the alphabet creator, but we know that he is Phoenician or in general Syrian, and we can say that the people, who achieved this miracle, deserve our gratitude, and it has the right to have a special dignity in the history of the world."
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