Keeping the fathers alive: the conservation of funeral architecture in Ugarit

The cult of ancestors is a fundamental principle which characterises the Bronze Age domestic architecture in the Levant, Asia Minor and Mesopotamia. The development of this aspect in Ugarit, the capital of an important Bronze Age civilization in Syria, turned out to be a strong feature that colors the city domestic architecture concepts. The remarkable evolution of the chamber tombs frames not only architectural and technical advancements, but also social dimensions. This paper presents a detailed archaeological reading and architectural analysis of the two types of Ugaritic tombs. A comparison between them reveals a strong evolutionary line in Ugaritic funeral architecture between Middle and Late Bronze Age periods. The study also establishes a conservation proposal that highlights this evolutionary line, while enhancing the visitors’ recognition and perception of the tombs’ spatial relationships within its domestic unit. A series of poignant architectural interventions is proposed to differentiate the funeral part and mark the chamber’s location within the house. Also, structural solutions are considered which facilitate the exploration of the tomb’s interior safely.