Royal Palace of Ugarit: Difference between revisions
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==Overview== |
==Overview== |
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===Layout=== |
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The palace, located in the north-west corner of the city, spanned an area of {{convert|6500|m2}} and was built in four major stages between the 15th and 13th-century BC. The palace area was surrounded by a fortified wall that dates back to the 15th-century BC. The wall was built with packed stones at the bottom and had an outward slope of 45 degrees. The palace's main gate was protected by an array of towers, dubbed the Fortress, with {{convert|5|m}} thick walls. |
The palace, located in the north-west corner of the city, spanned an area of {{convert|6500|m2}} and was built in four major stages between the 15th and 13th-century BC. The palace area was surrounded by a fortified wall that dates back to the 15th-century BC. The wall was built with packed stones at the bottom and had an outward slope of 45 degrees. The palace's main gate was protected by an array of towers, dubbed the Fortress, with {{convert|5|m}} thick walls. |
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The palace consisted of ninety rooms divided between two floors. The rooms were built around four large courtyards and four smaller ones. The western end of the palace had a large garden. In the north side of the palace, three underground burial chambers were constructed. The ground floor was used for administrative purposes and included offices, archives, storage and staff dwellings. The second floor housed the family quarters, and was accessed through twelve staircases.<ref name=Gates60/> The palace had three entrances: the main gate on the northwest near the Fortress, and two smaller entrances in the northeast and the southwest.<ref name=Gates61/> |
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===Architecture=== |
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The palace was built in four major stages between the 15th and 13th-century BC.<ref name=Gates60/> It was built out of ashlar stone blocks and wooden crossbeams, with a thick coat of plain plaster covering the walls.<ref name=Gates61>Gates, , p. 161.</ref> The fortified wall, which dates back to the 15th-century BC, was built with packed stones at the bottom and had an outward slope of 45 degrees.<ref name=Gates60/> |
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The layout is typical of palaces of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Ancient Near East.<ref name=Gates60/> The irregular outline of the palace and the asymmetrical layout are evidence of constant additions and alterations. The burial chambers had corbelled vaults which show a connection with Hittite and Mycenaean architecture.<ref name=Gates60/> |
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==Archaeological finds== |
==Archaeological finds== |
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Revision as of 11:12, 13 October 2012
 The entrance to the Royal Palace of Ugarit | |
| Location | Ugarit, northwestern Syria |
|---|---|
| Type | dwelling |
| Part of | Acropolis |
| Area | 6,500 square metres (70,000 sq ft) |
| History | |
| Material | stone |
| Founded | c. 15th – c. 13th-century BC |
| Periods | Bronze II–Hellenistic |
| Associated with | Yasmah-Adad, Zimrilim |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | partial restoration |
| Public access | yes |
The Royal Palace of Ugarit was the royal residence of the rulers of the ancient kingdom of Ugarit on the Mediterranean coast of Syria. The palace was excavated with the rest of the city in the 1930s by French archaeologist Claude F. A. Schaeffer and is considered one of the most important finds made at Ugarit.
Overview
Layout
The palace, located in the north-west corner of the city, spanned an area of 6,500 square metres (70,000 sq ft) and was built in four major stages between the 15th and 13th-century BC. The palace area was surrounded by a fortified wall that dates back to the 15th-century BC. The wall was built with packed stones at the bottom and had an outward slope of 45 degrees. The palace's main gate was protected by an array of towers, dubbed the Fortress, with 5 metres (16 ft) thick walls.[1]
The palace consisted of ninety rooms divided between two floors. The rooms were built around four large courtyards and four smaller ones. The western end of the palace had a large garden. In the north side of the palace, three underground burial chambers were constructed. The ground floor was used for administrative purposes and included offices, archives, storage and staff dwellings. The second floor housed the family quarters, and was accessed through twelve staircases.[1] The palace had three entrances: the main gate on the northwest near the Fortress, and two smaller entrances in the northeast and the southwest.[2]
Architecture
The palace was built in four major stages between the 15th and 13th-century BC.[1] It was built out of ashlar stone blocks and wooden crossbeams, with a thick coat of plain plaster covering the walls.[2] The fortified wall, which dates back to the 15th-century BC, was built with packed stones at the bottom and had an outward slope of 45 degrees.[1]
The layout is typical of palaces of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Ancient Near East.[1] The irregular outline of the palace and the asymmetrical layout are evidence of constant additions and alterations. The burial chambers had corbelled vaults which show a connection with Hittite and Mycenaean architecture.[1]
Archaeological finds
Tablets
More than 20,000 tablets were found in the palace. Most of these tablets date back to the reign of Yasmah-Adad, Shamshi-Adad I' son, and Zimrilim (c. 1785-1760 BC). They were left in situ when the city was plundered by the Babylonian king Hammurabi in 1759 BC. The letters shed a fascinating light on the day to day management of the palace, the administration of the kingdom, and the politics of the ancient Near East.[3] The tablets, according to André Parrot, "brought about a complete revision of the historical dating of the ancient Near East and provided more than 500 new place names, enough to redraw or even draw up the geographical map of the ancient world".[4] One of the letters is from the king of Yamhad forwarding a request from the king of Ugarit, who had heard of the wonders of the royal palace at Mari and wished to visit it himself.[5]
Frescoes
The discovery of brilliantly colored frescoes was a great surprise, given the normally unfavorable conditions of the preservation of painted decorations. One fresco shows a rather complex composition depicting in the center the "Investiture of Zimrilim" by a warrior-goddess, most probably Ishtar.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Gates, , p. 160.
- ^ a b Gates, , p. 161.
- ^ Robson, 2008, p.127.
- ^ Sasson, Jack M. (October - Dec., 1998). "The King and I a Mari King in Changing Perceptions". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 118 (4): pp. 453–470. doi:10.2307/604782.
{{cite journal}}:|pages=has extra text (help); Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Kuhrtwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Sources
- Kuhrt, Amélie (1997). Ancient Near East C. 3000-330 BC. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-16763-5.
- Robson, Eleanor (2008). Mathematics in ancient Iraq: a social history. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-09182-2.