Crescentic, slightly asymmetrical hull that curves smoothly upward into high posts with undecorated extremities. One extremity (stern ?) is shorter with a gentler outward curve, while the other is higher and rises upward more sharply, its extremity bending outward. Mast roughly amidship, with forestay and backstay. A triangular feature on the left side of the mast top, most likely a crow’s nest. Possible line extending below the hull as a quarter rudder.

Discovered during the 1960 excavations in the “Ville Sud”, on the cover slab of a looted tomb (zone 323 W. topographic point 3316, depth 0.7 m). The inventory of the find from the 23rd excavation campaign provides the following description: “Cylindre en stéatite brun-noirâtre, belle facture, scène à deux personnages l’un assis, l’autre debout, séparés par une esquisse linéaire de bateau et un scorpion. On voit aussi un oiseau et des points. Long. : 22 mm ; Diam. : 10 mm” (Matoïan 2022: 710, n. 64).

From left to right: a rosette made up of round globules and a bird below, followed by a standing figure wearing a long robe and a conical headdress, walking while facing left, with his right arm raised. Behind him, a scorpion, a triangle, and a ship. Seated figure on a stool facing left, with his right arms raised while the left one is lowered. Upright spear behind him and two more globules.

The hull morphology of the ship most closely aligns with that of the mnš vessel type, although not exactly. Its closest parallel is the ship depicted on the cylinder seal from Tell el Dab’a (L55) whichh a similar asymmetry.

Matoïan thinks that the triangular shape on the side of the mast top could be a flag instead of a crow’s nest (Matoïan 2022: 710). The miniature size of the ship and the medium warrants caution against reading too deeply into the fact it is triangular, with the crow’s nest remaining the more likely interpretation. A crow’s nest hung on the side of the mast is attested on the Levantine ships from the tomb of Kenamun (L2), which appears to be the older form of this innovation before it was moved on top of the mast.

Because of the ship’s small size relative to the human figures of the composition, Matoïan has posited that it could represent a ship model (Matoïan 2022: 712). Ship depictions on other seal devices however almost never depict the ship in a realistic size compared to other elements of the scene, which makes this interpretation unlikely. A more interesting question is whether one or both of the human figures represent divinities, which would draw a thematic parallel with the Tell el Dab’a seal.

Amiet, P. 1992. Corpus des cylindres des Ras-Shamra-Ougarit II. Sceaux-cylindres en hematite et pierres diverses. Ras Shamra-Ougarit IX. Paris: Recherche sur les civilisations.

Matoïan, V. 2022. "Un bateau en or dans la “maison du Grand-Prêtre” à Ugarit." Comptes-rendus des séances de l’Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres, April-June 2022. Paris: Editions de l’académie 23, quai de conti, pp. 657-691.