The ancient kingdom of Ugarit. Looking for peace?

© Universidad de CastillaLa Mancha Departamento de Historia. All rights reserved. It has traditionally been thought that the ancient kingdom of Ugarit, at least during the period covered by the archives of the city (ca. 1350-1200 BC), was a kingdom uninvolved in war. According to this interpretation, Ugarit would essentially have been concerned with trade and international relations, avoiding, whenever possible, involvement in the frequent armed conflicts in the area. Ugarit seemed therefore to be an oasis of peace in the midst of an often turbulent world. The present article reviews the evidence and the reasoning that have led to the formulation of this peaceful portrait, while analyzing some possible alternatives to this vision.