The Syrians, whose kingdom lay to the north of Phoenicia, shared much common history with their seafaring neighbors. They too were a canaanite people speaking a Semitic language, and they likewise often found themselves caught between a number of great powers in the region.
Syria had been populated since at least 8500 b. c., and for thousands of years it was controlled by a people known to archaeologists as the Halaf (huh-LAHF) civilization. The latter established the city of Ugarit (YOO-guh-rit), which would remain an important center until its destruction by the mysterious Sea Peoples in about 1200 b. c. Halaf culture, however, ended in about 4500 b. c., for reasons that are unclear, and over the next few thousand years, Syria was controlled by groups from Mesopotamia.
During the 1700s B. c., the Mesopotamian city-state of Mari (MAHR-ee) held power over the area, extending its territory all the way to Ugarit on the Mediterranean coast. Mari was followed by a number of other small civilizations. By the 1300s B. c., the Hittites were on the move, and they often clashed with the Egyptians for control of the region. Another force was Mitanni (mi-TAHN-ee) to the east. The Mitannians attempted to play the Hittites and Egyptians against one another until they were crushed by the Hittites in the mid-1300s B. c.
The Hittites finally did battle with the Egyptians at the Syrian city of Kadesh (KAY-desh) in about 1285 B. c., and with the apparent victory of the Hittites, Syria came under Hittite control. The trading city of Ugarit, however, remained independent and established ties both with Egypt and the Hittites. The city flourished from about 1400 to about 1200, and the Ugaritic language spread throughout the region. After the Sea Peoples destroyed the city, Phoenicians took over the trade that had once passed through Ugarit.
World History
