Ugarit (Ras Shamra)

Ugarit (Hebrew אוּגָרִית): Bronze Age port in northern Syria, destroyed in the early twelfth century BCE, modern Ras Shamra. Cuneiform tablets illustrate the religion of ancient Canaan, i.e., the gods against which the first Jewish prophets polemicized.History …

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Umm Daraj Sanctuary

Umm Daraj ("mother of the stairs"): modern name of an ancient mountain sanctuary opposite Dedan. Dedanite dedication to Dhu Ghaybah from…

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Ur

Ur: ancient Sumerian city, modern Tell el-Muqayyar. Ur's ziggurat, partly rebuilt Prehistory Ur dates back to the Neolithic Ubaid Period, prior to c.3800…

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Urartu

Urartu (Akkadian Uraštu; Hebrew Ararat): ancient kingdom, situated along the river Araxes (modern Aras), the Upper Tigris and the Upper Euphrates. …

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Uruk

Uruk: ancient Sumerian city, modern Warka.Uruk Uruk, Seleucid temple Already an important town in the fourth millennium; in c.3200 BCE it measured…

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Uruk King List

Uruk King List: historiographical document from ancient Babylonia, mentioning the length of the reigns of several kings from Kandalanu (r.647-627) to the Seleucid king Seleucus II Callinicus (r.246-226/225). …

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Valkaš

Valkaš: king of Persia, ruling from 484 to 488, member of the Sasanian dynasty. Valkaš Main deeds: Name: Valkaš Beginning of reign: 484 Successor of:…

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Vardanes I

Vardanes I: Arsacid king of the Parthian Empire (r.29?-47?). Vardanes I In 38 CE, the Parthian king Artabanus II died; his main achievement…

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Vardanes II

Vardanes II: Arsacid rebel king of the Parthian Empire (r.55-58). A Parthian In the year 52 CE, the Parthian king Vologases I invaded…

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Vologases I

Vologases I: Arsacid king of the Parthian Empire (r.51-78).Accession A Parthian In c.47 CE, the Parthian king Vardanes I was assassinated. His brother…

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