SECOND HALL OF RAS-SHAMRA (Ugarit(
Seals and Scarabs :
The use of seals dates back to very ancient periods in the
history of civilization . It is too difficult to determine a precise date
for the appearance and use of seals . The flat seal came into common use by
the end of the fifth millennium B. C.
At first the seal was used as amulet to protect its wearer against the
spirits and to bring him luck and happiness . The seal was developed later
on into a new shape like cylinder therefore it was named the cylinder seal .
This type was used on a wide scale since the fourth millennium B. C.
The flat seal , however had not been completely disappeared , but it was
widely used along with the cylinder one in the religious and economic daily
purposes all over the ancient Orient. Therefore , the study of the
development of seals is a matter of great interest since such study
discloses to us tangible documents by which we can learn and understand much
about the ancient civilization in regard to : the name and qualities of
deities religious rites , cults , commercial and social life clothes , arms
, utensils and various traditions .
The seal was generally made of stone or any hard substance such as the
hematite. Many seals were also made of mother-of- pearl like those of Mari
and Mesopotamia .
The excavations at Ugarit have yielded large number of seals , some were
made of stone and the others were made of a kind of ceramic known as " Frit
" .
Allied to seals are the scarabs which were widespread in Egypt more than the
rest of the ancient Orient . From Egypt the scarabs were transferred to
Syria where they were used , in the main , as objects of ornament for women
. They were also used in the social and religious life .
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Pottery :
Pottery began to be more or less widely used at Ras-Shamra ( Ugarit )
around the 6th millennium B. C. Shreds of burnished
brown pottery ( the earliest pottery ) have been found in the north of Syria
and in Anatolia . Some shreds ( Tell Halaf type )
dating from the fifth millennium B. C. and influenced by the Mesopotamian
Pottery have been also found . After a long interruption , Pottery made its
appearance again . It was also influenced by that of Mesopotamia ( Ubaid
type ). In the 3rd millennium B. C. ( The ancient Bronze Age ) the Pottery
of Ras Shamra ceased to submit itself to the Mesopotamia influence and
appeared to be in close relation with that of Southern Syria and Palestine .
It was burnished Pottery plated in black on the exterior and in red on the
interior ( Khurbet Kerak type ) in the South of Syria .
In the second half of the 2nd millennium B. C. Ugarit used a simple pottery
similar to the Canaanite Pottery and that of the interior Syria . It
appeared in effect on bowls of which bottom is ornamented with intercepted
lines and also on rhytons in form of horn or cone ornamented with spiral
animal and fish motifs, or other mythological subjects.
Here are the most important pieces displayed in this show case :
Terracotta crater with two handles and with paint ed design in red on a
bright ground . The design is two-horse chariot behind which are four
persons in tunic . There other persons in tunic can also he seen moving
towards the chariot , each carrying a long sword . The empty spaces are
adorned with flowers . The crater is of Mycenaean origin and dates back to
the Recent Stone Age.
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