Ugaritic
Extinct languageLanguage Information
Ugaritic was spoken in the ancient city-state of Ugarit, on the Mediterranean coast of what is now northwestern Syria, near modern Latakia. It is extinct and is known only from clay tablets found at the site of Ugarit (Ras Shamra).
Ugaritic is a Northwest Semitic language related to Hebrew and Phoenician. It was used from about the 14th century B.C. until the city was destroyed around 1185 B.C. It was written in a cuneiform alphabet of 30 letters, one of the earliest known alphabets, pressed into clay with a stylus. The site was discovered in 1928, and the script was deciphered within a few years. Ugaritic myths and poems have helped scholars understand the background of the Hebrew Bible.
Ugaritic is a Northwest Semitic language related to Hebrew and Phoenician. It was used from about the 14th century B.C. until the city was destroyed around 1185 B.C. It was written in a cuneiform alphabet of 30 letters, one of the earliest known alphabets, pressed into clay with a stylus. The site was discovered in 1928, and the script was deciphered within a few years. Ugaritic myths and poems have helped scholars understand the background of the Hebrew Bible.
- Language Family
- Afro-Asiatic (Hamito-Semitic)
- Subgroup
- Semitic
- Branch
- Northwest Semitic