Ugarit Archive
June 30, 2010
Ugaritic Deciphered Using AI: Abnormally Interesting But . . .
Andrew Robinson claimed that decipherment required a combination of synthesis, logic and intuition that is beyond the reach of artificial intelligence. Regina Barzilay, an associate professor in MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Ben Snyder, a grad student in...Read all of "Ugaritic Deciphered Using AI: Abnormally Interesting But . . . "
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:02 PM
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November 9, 2009
A Hebrew-Ugaritic Bibliography
Over at Daily Hebrew, Chip Hardy has posted and posted and posted and posted . . . and posted a lengthy Hebrew-Ugaritic bibliography. I have no idea how many entrees it has but there are hundreds. Such a lengthy bibliography...Read all of "A Hebrew-Ugaritic Bibliography"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:20 PM
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July 17, 2009
New Blog - Sects and Violence in the Ancient World
Steve Wiggins is a "part-time academic, compulsive reader, sometime editor, dangerously curious, failed priest" who has a new blog, Sects and Violence in the Ancient World. He is also an Ugaritite or an Ugaritan or an Ugaritiyu or maybe just...Read all of "New Blog - Sects and Violence in the Ancient World"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:54 AM
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June 21, 2009
Open Access Syria
Sometime ago JSTOR announced that they would provide back issues of the journal Syria. Well, now all Syria issues between 1920 and 1992 are available free online without the need to going through JSTOR. I am very happy to see...Read all of "Open Access Syria "
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:15 AM | TrackBack (0) | Abnormal Archive Link |
April 27, 2009
Why All These Abecedaries From The Royal Palace of Ugarit?
After more than a year of waffling, I've decided to formally write up my random speculations on the possibility that Niqmaddu (III?) and perhaps other kings of Ugarit were literate. I want to see if the resultant paper will convince...Read all of "Why All These Abecedaries From The Royal Palace of Ugarit?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:44 AM
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January 18, 2009
Not Sure How To Look Words Up In An Ugaritic Dictionary
Jim Getz has the lowdown at Ketuvim. I agree with Jim. If there is anything that can be easily standardized it must certainly be an alphabetical order. As an old more mature student of Ugaritic, I prefer Cyrus Gordon’s ordering....Read all of "Not Sure How To Look Words Up In An Ugaritic Dictionary"
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November 16, 2008
Syria: Now Available At JSTOR
Back issues of the journal Syria are now available at JSTOR. Anyone who has access to a JSTOR account can now download papers from the 1920 through the 2002 volumes. Starting in 1929, the la revue Syria published the first...Read all of "Syria: Now Available At JSTOR"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:50 PM
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August 28, 2008
A Few Strange Letters
N. T. Wrong is back and telling us of The Lost Treasure of Ugarit, the first film of the Jack Hunter series. Run over to the Wrong site and learn more about the movie. He points out the rather strange...Read all of "A Few Strange Letters"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:13 PM
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August 20, 2008
More Horsing Around
Late last week Dr. Martin Heide of Philipps-Universität, Marburg, emailed me. He cordially noted my series on the Ugaritic hippiatric tablets and introduced me to his forthcoming two volume work on ibn ahi Hizam's Kitab al-Bayatara ("The Book on Hippiatrics")...Read all of "More Horsing Around"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:44 PM | TrackBack (0) | Abnormal Archive Link |
July 22, 2008
Ad Hoc Rituals for Canonical Gods?
Jim Getz has an abnormally interesting post on the Ugaritic ritual texts. At the end of his post, he asks a couple of significant programmatic questions that deserve a lot of study and thought. These questions rest on two equally...Read all of "Ad Hoc Rituals for Canonical Gods?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:37 PM
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June 22, 2008
Tit for Tat
Yesterday John Hobbins at Ancient Hebrew Poetry wrote on Isaiah 66:11 and the Hebrew word זִיז. Correctly, I think, John says it means "nipple" there and should be translated as such. En passant John refers us to the Ugaritic text...Posted by Duane Smith at 12:46 PM | TrackBack (0) | Abnormal Archive Link |
May 24, 2008
Ugarit-Forschungen 38 Has Arrived
In the RSS feed announcing the latest volume of Ugarit-Forschungen, James Spinti of Eisenbrauns, wrote, I don't know about you, but when I was in graduate school, one of my favorite times was whenever the newest Ugarit Forschungen was released....Read all of "Ugarit-Forschungen 38 Has Arrived"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:05 AM
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May 7, 2008
Problems Are on the Horizon
But what problems? The last of the four missing Claremont Ras Shamra tablets that I have been discussing is RS 1957.2. I've waited so long to post on this tablet because I couldn't make up my mind on an important...Read all of "Problems Are on the Horizon"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:07 PM
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May 6, 2008
The Schøyen Collection for Sale
Over the last few weeks, I've written about three of the four missing tablets from Ugarit that were once housed at the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity in Claremont, California and known as the Claremont Ras Shamra Tablets. I'll be...Read all of "The Schøyen Collection for Sale"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:08 AM | TrackBack (0) | Abnormal Archive Link |
April 23, 2008
Did The King of Ugarit Write?
What follows is more or less wild speculation. Handle with care. Over the last few months, I've been worrying about the possibility that there were literate professionals and semiliterate persons at Ugarit. One motivation for this is the work, recent...Read all of "Did The King of Ugarit Write?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:52 PM
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April 16, 2008
How Long Do You Think It Took to Negotiate These Few Words?
While working on RS 1975.2, I decided to take a closer look at another tablet. RS 19.78 (PRU VI #52), also from Ugarit, reads in my translation, On this day, in front of witnesses, Akiteššub frees the commander of a...Read all of "How Long Do You Think It Took to Negotiate These Few Words?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:16 PM
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April 8, 2008
The Final Missing Administrative Tablet: RS 1957.701 (KTU 4.709)
KTU 4.709 is part of the set missing Claremont Ras Shamra Tablets that I've been discussing. The picture to the left is of a cast of the obverse of the tablet with the name Ashdod circled. The tablet itself...Read all of "The Final Missing Administrative Tablet: RS 1957.701 (KTU 4.709)"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:20 PM
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April 6, 2008
Another Missing Tablet: RS 1957.3
The other day I discussed a missing administrative tablet from Ugarit and mentioned that three other tablets are now lost. Today I'll discuss another one of those missing tablets. It too is an administrative tablet written in Akkadian and from...Read all of "Another Missing Tablet: RS 1957.3"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:40 PM
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April 4, 2008
Where Is It Now?
Over there on the left is a picture of a cast of a small cuneiform tablet. The original is almost certainly from Ugarit. The actual tablet is black. The picture is very near actual size: 3.4 cm by 1.6 cm....Read all of "Where Is It Now?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:44 AM
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March 17, 2008
What Is Going On Here?
KTU 6.62, an inscription on a broken lion head mug from Ugarit, reads, bn agpṯr pn arw d šʿly nrn l ršp gn Son of Agapsharri Head (face) of a lion that Nūrānu lifted up for Rashaph Guni (of the...Read all of "What Is Going On Here?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:15 PM
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March 15, 2008
Is PZ Myers Habayu? or What Does YLŠN Mean?
I started out to write a hilarious post about PZ Myers of Pharyngula and the upcoming American Atheists Conference in Minneapolis. PZ said this about his preparation for the conference, And I'll be sure to get my horns trimmed and...Read all of "Is PZ Myers Habayu? or What Does YLŠN Mean?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:41 PM
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March 13, 2008
KTU 1.114 - A Student Exercise?
Yesterday I mentioned that Ugaritic tablet KTU 1.114 was a palimpsest and that a small part of the "erased" text is somewhat readable. Here is a picture of KTU 1.114:6-8 cropped from the image of the whole tablet provided in...Read all of "KTU 1.114 - A Student Exercise?"
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March 12, 2008
That Which Cheers Gods and Men
Gods drinking wine and even getting intoxicated is a theme in many literatures. It even shows up in a fable in the Hebrew Bible. Judges 9:13 reads וַתֹּאמֶר לָהֶם הַגֶּפֶן הֶחֳדַלְתִּי אֶת-תִּירוֹשִׁי הַמְשַׂמֵּחַ אֱלֹהִים וַאֲנָשִׁים וְהָלַכְתִּי לָנוּעַ עַל-הָעֵצִים Then the...Read all of "That Which Cheers Gods and Men"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:52 PM
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February 27, 2008
Another Ugaritic Ritual Text By A Semiliterate?
KTU 1.48 was among the earliest Ugaritic tablets excavated. In 1929, shortly after Claude Schaeffer excavated it from the royal palace at Ugarit, Charles Virolleaud published a picture and a drawing of the fragmentary tablet. At that time, Virolleaud...Read all of "Another Ugaritic Ritual Text By A Semiliterate?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:02 PM
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February 12, 2008
Proto-Semitic Language and Culture
If you haven't seen John Huehnergard's "Proto-Semitic Language and Culture" entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language it is now online. Be sure to checkout the charts and the guide to Semitic roots. Be sure to click...Read all of "Proto-Semitic Language and Culture"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:03 PM
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February 8, 2008
Cyprus Points to It
Alun Salt, writing the other day on both Archaeoastronomy and Ancient World Bloggers Group, suggested an abnormally interesting approach to blog carnivals. He suggested that they be "permanent" and subject to "light review." Please read Alun's post to find out...Read all of "Cyprus Points to It"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:32 PM
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January 26, 2008
Semi-Literates in the Hinterlands of Ugarit?
I have been exchanging emails with Rochelle Altman on scripts and scribal training. She believes it possible, in many cases, to distinguish between the written work of a professional scribe, that of a well-trained member of the literate elite and...Read all of "Semi-Literates in the Hinterlands of Ugarit?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:11 PM | TrackBack (0) | Abnormal Archive Link |
January 11, 2008
On the "Ugaritic" Alphabet and Cuneiform Alphabets
Like Charles at Awilum, I'm working my way through Schniedewind and Hunt's A Primer on Ugaritic: Language, Culture and Literature. I'll leave it to Charles to write the definitive review of this interesting and potentially useful textbook. For now, I...Read all of "On the "Ugaritic" Alphabet and Cuneiform Alphabets"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:09 PM
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December 28, 2007
An Evil Eye On KTU 1.96
In a recent paper, Nili Wazana eyes Qohelet (Ecclesiastes) 4:4-8. What does she see? The Evil Eye, that's what. Well at least she thinks there just might be several allusions to the evil eye in Qohelet 4:4-8. Part of her...Read all of "An Evil Eye On KTU 1.96"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:50 AM
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December 22, 2007
What to Do?
I've been working on an idea involving literacy at Ugarit. Specifically, I'm looking at three tablets that may have been written by semi-literates or literate elites rather than by professional scribes or their active students. There may be more than...Posted by Duane Smith at 11:24 AM
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Titles Only From Here On
December 18, 2007
The King is Dead, Long Live the King
November 10, 2007
Two Thousand Horses
November 8, 2007
Teams of Horses for Teams of People
November 4, 2007
2800 Years Down a Horse's Nose
October 29, 2007
The Veterinary Tablets from Ugarit and Scribal Training
October 11, 2007
Where is Ba'al?
September 10, 2007
A Probable Possible Prehistory of KTU 1.85
September 5, 2007
Liver Models, Lung Models and Science
September 2, 2007
Someone Else With Abnormal Interests
The Horse Tablets in Archaeological Context
August 27, 2007
Mitchell Dahood and the Ras Shamra Parallel Project
August 25, 2007
Ba'al the Thunderer?
August 23, 2007
A Novel Approach to Ugarit
August 20, 2007
A Structure for the Ages
August 12, 2007
Putting It All Together, The Ugaritic Veterinary Text That Is
August 11, 2007
A Scratching Horse with Mange (Maybe)
August 8, 2007
A Restored Text to Restore a Horse
August 3, 2007
A Broken Text for a Broken Horse
August 1, 2007
Back With My Sick Horse
July 28, 2007
A Horse in Pain or Just a Painful Text?
July 27, 2007
Is Your Horse Constipated or Suffering from Ischuria?
July 26, 2007
More Medication Down a Horse's Nose
July 25, 2007
How to Take Care of a Coughing Horse
July 23, 2007
On My AMule Again
June 10, 2007
The Scribe that Perhaps Could Add After All
April 11, 2007
Jim Qetz Thinks About Ugarit Too
March 16, 2007
This Seems Dangerous
March 10, 2007
A Little A and the Scribe that Couldn't Add
January 26, 2007
Shifting Back Ten Centuries?
December 7, 2006
Ša in Labels, One More Time
November 29, 2006
On the Preposition of Ownership and Transfer
November 24, 2006
Filling in the Blanks
November 3, 2006
The Ugarit Library
October 30, 2006
A Broom for a Horse or a Coat for a Goddess?
October 9, 2006
Getting Hung Up on a Preposition
September 6, 2006
Two Out of Three Is Not So Bad
July 28, 2006
Akkadian? Charles Halton will Tell You What It Is
July 26, 2006
More on the Breath of Life
July 18, 2006
Ugarit-Cola and Pop Culture
July 13, 2006
An Ugaritic Text Written in Syllabic Cuneiform?
July 10, 2006
Which of These Tablets is Written in Ugaritic?
July 8, 2006
One Good Reason to Publish Quickly
July 3, 2006
RS 25.130: A Translation of the Akkadian Portion of the Text
July 1, 2006
Conceiving and Giving Birth the Akkadian, Ugaritic and Hebrew Way
June 10, 2006
Papyrus Ebers Online
May 28, 2006
Testing a Hypothesis
May 23, 2006
The Role of "Literature" in Scribal Training
May 20, 2006
Is Being an Ape Always a Bad Thing?
May 4, 2006
van Soldt on Scribal Training at Ugarit
April 29, 2006
Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon Free Online
April 27, 2006
Another Can of Wedges
April 23, 2006
Ashdod, Ugarit and Monkey Suits
April 20, 2006
Citing Ugaritic Tablets and Texts and How to Get Them Online
April 17, 2006
A World With Few Vowels
April 14, 2006
Who Are These People? And Why Are They On This List?
April 11, 2006
The Cuneiform Short Alphabet: Part 9.
April 3, 2006
Oops, I almost Missed an Elephant
March 30, 2006
A Message from Heart Sick Abny
March 27, 2006
The Cuneiform Short Alphabet: Part 8.
March 22, 2006
To Swear on Someone Else's Life
March 21, 2006
The Correspondence of a Queen: A Message to the Yarmihaddu
The Correspondence of a Queen: A Message to the Queen
The Correspondence of a Queen: A Message to Urtēnu
March 18, 2006
Another Student Exercise from Ugarit
March 15, 2006
The Strange Case of the Vanishing hayah in Ugaritic
March 9, 2006
Marduk - Ugarit - Early Hebrew
March 5, 2006
Something Else to Worry About
February 20, 2006
A Preview of the Beth Shemesh Abecedary Tablet Study
February 13, 2006
A Frustrating Day at the Library
February 10, 2006
Systematic Theology by the Numbers
February 8, 2006
A Strange Little Tablet Cast on My Shelf
February 7, 2006
Modern Times Have Been Rough for Six Old Tablets from Ugarit
February 4, 2006
An Experiment with a Little Content
January 28, 2006
To Gather or to Cure? That is the Question
January 25, 2006
Opening a Can of Wedges