Minet el-Beida (, The White Harbor; or ancient Maʾḫadu) is a small bay located north of Latakia, Syria on the Mediterranean Sea.Michael C. Astour, Ma'Hadu, the Harbor of Ugarit, Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, vol. 13, iss. 1, pp. 113 – 127, 1970

History

It is an important archaeological site because it served as the harbor town and necropolis for Ugarit. The earliest archaeological findings at Minet el-Beida date to the Middle Bronze Age (MBA I) in 2100 BCE and the latest date to the Late Bronze Age (LBA III) in 1200 BCE. Due to its proximity to other civilizations and Minet el-Beida being the harbor town of Ugarit, the necropolis contained a lot of foreign items which shows the importance of the town as a commercial trade hub in the region.

Archaeology

Mistress of the Animals The 'Mistress of the Animals' is an elephant ivory engraving of a mythological scene depicting a Mistress of Animals feeding two wild goats. It was originally used as a lid for a pyxis, the vessel however was not found. It is thought to have been inpsired by Mycenaean votives. The lid dates to 1300 BCE - 1150 BCE.

Duck-shaped boxes Two duck-shaped boxes have been found at Minet el-Beida made from hippopotamus ivory tusks dating to the 13th century BCE. They were likely used as containers for makeup and were found alongside other ivory containers and spindles.

Hathor statuettes Multiple terracotta Hathor-style statuettes have been found at Minet el-Beida mostly dating to 14th-13th century BCE.

Cylinder seals Multiple cylinder seals have been found at Minet el-Beida mostly dating to the 15th-13th century BCE. They were mostly made from steatite, chlorite and hematite and contained Egyptian-style engravings.

See also Cities of the ancient Near East

References

Further reading

Sauvage, Caroline, "Nouvelle réflexion sur le "dépôt aux 80 jarres" de Minet el-Beida", De l'île d'Aphrodite au Paradis perdu, itinéraire d'un gentilhomme lyonnais. En hommage à Yves Calvet, hrsg. v. Bernard Geyer, Valérie Matoïan (Ras Shamra - Ougarit 22)., Peeters, pp. 63–76, 2015