Page 136 - AC-3-2

Arts & Communication Constructing the image of ancient cities

cultures. The analysis of the Residential Quarter shows that and valuable transitions which touch upon political,
it comprised some public buildings (tavern and baking economic, social, and cultural aspects of the city’s life
oven) and shops (single shops and bazaars). Therefore, it (vi) The functional-based (strongly connected)
can be assumed that the inhabitants of this area supported distribution of people within the city brought a
the royal family’s trade and worked on internal and external unique urban structure of Ugarit, in comparison with
commercial activities. On the other hand, the South City contemporary Bronze Age cities; this urban structure
area accommodates different professional workshops highlights the sustainable social environment of
(bronze workshops, oil presses, mills, etc.), shops, and Ugaritic people during the Late Bronze Age
storage attached to the houses. Consequently, professional (vii) The innovation of the alphabet and alphabetic
work and the city’s production were centralized in this area writing system, a unique event in Ugaritic history,
18
and perhaps the neighboring areas, such as the City Center revolutionized the city’s performance and facilitated
and the South Acropolis Slope. The Acropolis and the our understanding of Bronze Age life; this aspect is
Lower City are different as very few workshops were found physically manifested by the distribution of libraries
there. The inhabitants of the Acropolis area most probably within the city (Figure 17).
worked on serving the function of the two big temples,
maybe on farming too, whereas the findings of the Lower The city of Ugarit had a unique urban structure, and
City indicate that the inhabitants were normal workers who revising the relationship between the Royal Area and the
came from the kingdom’s towns and villages or sometimes rest of the city confirms this fact. Although the Royal Palace
from far away to work in the capital city of Ugarit. was separated by a checkpoint, it was physically very well
connected with the city through Palace Street. The palace
The street network of the city (Figure 16) demonstrates occupies the western part of the Public Plaza without any
that these professional, religious, and political zoning did strong fortifications to separate it from other parts to the east.
not affect the city’s urban and social dynamics; it can be Accessing the New Royal Zone from the city side, therefore,
recognized that these districts/zones were well connected was significantly simpler than it was in many contemporary
through primary and secondary streets to facilitate the cities from the surrounding cultures. This principle further
social cohesion, pedestrian traffic, as well as urban and differentiates Ugarit as a friendly city that had a high quality
socioeconomic complexity of the city. The strong physical of social interaction among its inhabitants and between
connection between all areas further evidences the unique the inhabitants and their rulers. The existence of the public
social and cultural attributes that were developed among plaza between the Palace and the Residential Quarter
the Ugaritic people in the city.
further reinforces this interpretation, which contributes to
4. Discussion the unique internal and social image of the city of Ugarit.
Ugarit is the city where people worked hard to organize The concentration of the city’s production in the
their urban environment through subsequent social and eastern areas (South City, City Center, South Acropolis
cultural developments. However, the final urban form Slope, etc.) promotes the interpretation of other possible
was of an organic structure. The location of the city and accesses to the city from the northern, southern, and
its relationships to the surrounding suburbs and landscape eastern sides (Figure 16). These possible accesses are
enabled its development to the stage of a capital city, or essential for enhancing the production of the city through
a city-state, of a relatively big civilization. Based on the facilitating strong relationships with the resources, and
analysis above, the quality of Ugarit’s urban form and the farms. This interpretation sounds highly logical
structure can be summarized as follows: taking into account many discovered cities, contemporary
(i) The location and morphology grant the city unique to Ugarit, such as Ebla in Mesopotamia and Enkomi in
characteristics within the surrounding landscape and Cyprus whose structures were based on the four-access
make clear its controlling role system. This further externalizes the image of the city
(ii) The external representations of the city (walls and within its physical and cultural contexts and highlights the
gates) were of monumental and cultural significance types and the nature/purpose of its key connections with
(iii) The urban form of the city presents the Ugaritic the surroundings. The physical representation of these
people’s planning experience to organize their connections (the gates) with the fortifications contributes
structures on difficult topography to the city’s collective image. Although we know more
(iv) The connection between the main temples and the about the western gate of the palace and its monumental
Royal Palace manifests the cultural and economic qualities that represent the advanced political and
18
characteristics of the city economic status of the kingdom, the other gates are still
(v) The urban development forms in the city show various missing. Based on understanding Ugaritic approaches to

Volume 3 Issue 2 (2025) 17 doi: 10.36922/ac.4239