The Ugaritic Combat Myth and Egypto-Hittite Relations in the Late Bronze Age

Abstract

While the story of the Ugaritic Baal Cycle has traditionally been interpreted either in terms of natural phenomena in conflict or as the triumph of order out of primordial chaos, new views have also discussed its contents in relationship with the historical situation of the city of Ugarit in the tug-of-war between the Egyptian and Hittite empires in the Late Bronze Age. Recently, the interpersonal relationships of the gods in the story have also been used to garner information on the political landscape of the era, especially of the Ugaritic vassalage under the Hittites, functioning as a critical commentary on the prevailing political order. But as the story contains timeless aspects and very little historical detail, being itself an iteration of a myth that has its origins in the Middle Bronze Age Amorite Kingdom period, its usefulness in recreating real world political tensions at the tail-end of the Late Bronze Age must be questioned, especially in light of the difficulty in dating the Ugaritic story. This article suggests that while the myth may incidentally reflect the history and political situation of the Eastern Mediterranean in the Late Bronze Age, its main function was in the legitimation of established power relationships and in the resolution of the crisis of monarchy itself.