By the 13th century BC, the Syrian city of Ugarit hosted an extremely
diverse range of writing practices. As well as two main scripts –
alphabetic and logographic cuneiform – the site has also produced
inscriptions in a wide range of scripts and languages, including
Hurrian, Sumerian, Hittite, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Luwian hieroglyphs and
Cypro-Minoan. This variety in script and language is accompanied by
writing practices that blend influences from Mesopotamian, Anatolian and
Levantine traditions together with what seem to be distinctive local
innovations.Script and Society: The Social Context of Writing
Practices in Late Bronze Age Ugarit explores the social and cultural
context of these complex writing traditions from the perspective of
writing as a social practice. It combines archaeology, epigraphy,
history and anthropology to present a highly interdisciplinary
exploration of social questions relating to writing at the site,
including matters of gender, ethnicity, status and other forms of
identity, the relationship between writing and place, and the complex
relationships between inscribed and uninscribed objects. This forms a
case- study for a wider discussion of interdisciplinary approaches to
the study of writing practices in the ancient world.
The Ancient World Online: Script and Society: The Social Context of Writing Practices in Late Bronze Age Ugarit
