Why does the Word "ṯlṯ" ("Three") mean "Copper" in Ugaritic?, E. Cohen-Sasson; J. Yogev; S. Yona (original) (raw)

The Bronze Age period's name reflects two important metals of that period, namely copper and tin. These metals became extremely important to Bronze Age societies, and facilitated the development of more efficient technological production systems, and highly developed trade routes. 1 The significance of Ugarit in the Late Bronze trade system is connected to the physical location of the city. Ugarit is situated on an intersection of land-routes from central Asia from where tin was imported, and maritime routes that were connected to the Mediterranean and Cyprus from where copper was imported. Ugarit's part as a mediator of trade of bronze items is crucial for understanding the trade in the Late Bronze Age in the Ancient Near East. 2 It is therefore difficult to comprehend the absence of a unique word to represent copper in the Ugaritic language, which was of considerable importance in the kingdom of Ugarit.