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THE BIBLE UNEARTHED: THE MAKING OF A RELIGION -- ILLUSTRATED SCREENPLAY & SCREENCAP GALLERY |
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The Canaan landscape was radically transformed. How did this happen?
Cuneiform tablets discovered in the port city of Ugarit in Syria -- which was itself destroyed at the time --
provide the first elements of an explanation. These texts attest to a climate of fear and confusion.
When deciphered, they provide evidence of the causes of this upheaval.
Ammurapi, the last king of Ugarit, wrote to the king of Alashiya -- today's Cyprus:
"Father, the enemy's ships have come, burning our cities and sowing destruction everywhere."
Which formidable enemy was capable of overturning the ancient world in this way? Who were these invaders who came from the sea? The archaeologist, Ayelet Gilboa,
is excavating a site on the north coast of Tel Aviv. She puts forward the explanation that is most widely accepted by the experts.
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