Banqueting in Ancient Ugarit

Humanity has always been fond of good food and drinks. Each significative event, like a marriage or a funeral, has frequently been accompanied by a banquet, where fine dishes and alcoholic beverages play an important part. Banqueting has therefore always occupied a prominent place in human’s daily life. This is so today but it was also the case in Antiquity. Ancient Near Eastern textual and iconographical sources give us information on how ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians thought of banquets and confirm that banqueting was not a human privilege. The gods too enjoyed many banquets, where large quantities of food and drinks were consumed, and important decisions were made. In the coastal town of Ugarit too, banqueting must have been an important part of life, as the Ugaritic texts, dating from the 14th and 13th centuries BCE, frequently mention different types of banquets. This paper will examine these different types of banqueting. It will start with a lexicological study of the five Ugaritic words connected with banquets. Next it will discuss to what extent the banquets were religious or secular activities. The role of alcoholic beverages will shortly be touched upon. As can be expected, the main sources for the lecture are the various texts drafted in the Ugaritic language, but when necessary or useful, Akkadian texts, iconographical and archaeological sources will also be included in the discussion.