The ancient name of the modern Ras Shamra on the Mediterranean coast in Syria. Excavations started in 1929 by French archaeologists revealed large deposits of cuneiform texts in Akkadian and in Ugaritic and give much information about the social organization and religion of the city which was apparently destroyed shortly before 1200 BCE. The importance of these texts for OT studies is the light they shine on the cultures surrounding Israel and the legends of their deities, such as Baal, who is a storm-god. (Ps. 29 portrays Yahweh in very similar terms.) Their language can also sometimes shed light on obscure Hebrew passages in the Bible.