The City of Ugarit at Tell Ras Shamra

In 1929, a farmer accidentally discovered a tomb near the Mediterranean coast of Syria, about 12 km north of the modern seaport of Latakia. Initial excavations at the tell of Ras Shamra by Ren� Dussaud and Claude Schaeffer brought to light impressive architectural remains, numerous artifacts, and tablets written in cuneiform (both alphabetic and syllabic), and the excavators soon were able to identify the site as the ancient city of Ugarit.