Arnold C. Schultz - Ugarit

Ugarit in Syria was discovered by accident by a farmer who was ploughing fields. Before the tomb was accidentally ploughed into, the site of Ugarit had been forgotten for almost 1400 years. Ugarit is a Canaanite site that has been inhabited from 6000 BCE until its destruction by the Sea Peoples at the end of the Bronze Age, around 1190 BCE. The site is famous for the cuneiform tablets found with Ugaritic script that contain information on topics such as Canaanite religion, and the history of ancient Syria.

Léon Albanèse examined a tomb in the bay Minet el-Beida and the main mound of Ras Shamra (modern day Ugarit) in 1928. Excavations at Tell Ras Shamra were undertaken by Claude Schaeffer for the Musée Archéologique in Strasbourg from 1929 until 1970. During the Second World War excavations ceased from 1940, with excavations picking up again in 1947. The excavations uncovered royal tombs, temples, what was left of royal palaces, a library and government buildings. The material culture found such as pottery and bronze indicate trade contacts with Mesopotamia, Egypt, Crete and Asia Minor.

The Schultz pictures of Ugarit have not been dated. The pictures in the collection that were dated were taken in the late sixties to the early seventies, which indicate the Ugarit pictures could possibly have been taken during that time period. In the pictures the ruins of buildings of the city Ugarit are visible.