2014/04/07 by Noga Ayali-Darshan · 2 citations
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Ancient Near East History #Archaeology and Historical Studies #Classical Antiquity Studies #Contradiction #Hittite language #Heaven #Subject (documents) #Literature #Expression (computer science) #Depiction #Art #Philosophy #History #Ancient history #Linguistics #Computer science
paper · doi:10.7817/jameroriesoci.133.4.0651
openalex publication_date 2014/04/07 · openalex created_date 2017/09/25 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21

 
 
 The Ugaritic expression “Baal, son of Dagan” has been the subject of several studies which attempt to resolve the contradiction between the depiction of Baal as El’s son on the one hand and the expression “Baal, son of Dagan” (bʿl bn dgn) on the other. Despite the paucity of literary evidence, the majority of scholars have identified Dagan with either El or Baal, consequently attributing a single “real” father to Baal. This paper suggests a new solution in light of the literary traditions preserved in the Hurro-Hittite texts—contemporary with those from Ugarit—and the development of these traditions in the writings of Philo of Byblos (first–second centuries C.E.). Both these texts describe the storm-god as having two fathers: the grain-god (Kumarbi / Dagon) and the veteran god of the pantheon, the god of Heaven (Anu / Ouranus). Given the close relationship among Ugarit, the Hurrians, and the Phoenicians, it is difficult to regard this parallelism as coincidental.