Baal of Ugarit

This bronze figurine was once covered with gold foil, though only the head now betrays what it originally looked like. Baal was presented in mythology as a young, impetuous warrior god hurling thunderbolts, as would Zeus, his Greek reincanation, and Jupiter, head of the Roman Pantheon. Baal protected Ugarit and ensured the fertility of its soil as well as the prosperity of its maritime trace. 

Provenance: Ugarit (Ras Shamra).
Era: late Bronze Age (circa 1300 BCE).
Dimensions: 12.5 x 4.5 x 4.7 cm.
Collection: National Museum of Damascus. 

Syria, Land of Civilization. Les Éditions de l'Homme, Musée de la civilisation de Québec 1999.