Ugaritic alphabet
E32109
The Ugaritic alphabet is an ancient cuneiform script used in the city of Ugarit to write the Ugaritic language, notable as one of the earliest known alphabetic writing systems.
Aliases (4)
- Ugaritic ×7
- Ugaritic cuneiform ×2
- Ugaritic script ×1
- Ugaritic texts ×1
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
abjad
→
alphabetic writing system → cuneiform script → |
| archaeologicalContext |
clay tablet archives of Ugarit
→
|
| comparedWith |
Mesopotamian syllabic cuneiform
→
|
| culturalContext |
Canaanite city-state of Ugarit
→
|
| dateFrom |
circa 1400 BCE
→
|
| dateTo |
circa 1200 BCE
→
|
| differenceFromMesopotamianCuneiform |
uses alphabetic signs instead of syllabic signs
→
|
| discoveredAt |
Ras Shamra
→
|
| discoveredInCountry |
Syria
→
|
| discoveredNear |
Latakia
→
|
| discoveryDate |
1928
→
|
| hasSignFor |
emphatic consonants
→
glottal stop → pharyngeal consonants → |
| influenced |
later Northwest Semitic alphabets
→
|
| languageFamilyWritten |
Northwest Semitic languages
→
|
| notableFeature |
alphabetic order similar to later Phoenician and Hebrew
→
includes separate signs for three vowels → one of the earliest known alphabetic writing systems → written with stylus on clay like Mesopotamian cuneiform → |
| numberOfConsonantSigns |
27
→
|
| numberOfLetters |
30
→
|
| numberOfVowelSigns |
3
→
|
| primaryLanguageWritten |
Ugaritic
→
|
| relatedTo |
Phoenician alphabet
→
Proto-Canaanite alphabet → |
| scriptFamily |
Ugaritic script
→
|
| scriptForm |
cuneiform
→
|
| scriptStatus |
extinct
→
|
| scriptType |
logo-consonantal alphabet
→
|
| timePeriod |
Late Bronze Age
→
|
| unicodeBlock |
Ugaritic
→
|
| unicodeRange |
U+10380–U+1039F
→
|
| usedFor |
Ugaritic language
→
|
| usedIn |
Ugarit
→
|
| usedInRegion |
Levant
→
ancient Syria → |
| writingDirection |
left-to-right
→
|
| writingMedium |
clay tablets
→
|
| writingSupport |
administrative texts
→
legal documents → literary texts → religious texts → |
| writingSystemScope |
local to Ugarit and surroundings
→
|
| writingSystemType |
consonantal alphabet
→
|
| writingTechnique |
cuneiform wedge impressions
→
|
Referenced by (14)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Canaanites
("Ugaritic cuneiform")
→
Hurrian → Northwest Semitic ("Ugaritic cuneiform") → Ugarit ("Ugaritic") → |
writingSystem |
|
Afroasiatic languages
("Ugaritic")
→
|
hasAncientMember |
|
Northwest Semitic
("Ugaritic")
→
|
hasDescendant |
|
Semitic languages
("Ugaritic")
→
|
hasLanguage |
|
Northwest Semitic
("Ugaritic")
→
|
hasMember |
|
Afroasiatic languages
("Ugaritic")
→
|
includesLanguage |
|
Ugarit
→
|
knownFor |
|
Canaan
("Ugaritic texts")
→
|
mentionedIn |
|
Phoenician alphabet
→
|
relatedTo |
|
Ugaritic alphabet
("Ugaritic script")
→
|
scriptFamily |
|
Ugaritic alphabet
("Ugaritic")
→
|
unicodeBlock |