The Siege of Ugarit occurred in 1199 BC when the Syrian warlord Irsu's generals Elhu and Baldassare conquered the mighty Canaanite port city of Ugarit.
From 1205 to 1200 BC, the eastern Syrian warlord Irsu conquered most of Canaan from Syria southward to the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip. With his southern border secured by a non-aggression pact with Prince Ramesses of Egypt, his western border secured by peace with the Egyptian vizier of Canaan Bay (as well as the defeat of the invading Weshesh "Sea People"), and his eastern border protected by the vast Syrian desert. This left him with opportunities for expansion to the north, where the strong mercantile power of Ugarit, the weakened Amorites, and the isolated city-state of Halab were hard-pressed by wars with the Hittite domains and with each other. Ugarit was the most successful of these city-states, having forged a significant kingdom along the Levantine coast and in eastern Anatolia. While initially hesitant to take on Ugarit, Irsu - secure in his other borders - sent his generals Elhu and Yakarum to conquer its domains. While Yakarum conquered Alalah, Elhu led an army of 1,690 troops to besiege Ugarit itself, a city defended by 1,712 troops.
The Ugarite general Anat decided to lead a sortie of the garrison against the Syrians, supported by the outpost commander Abdosir. In the ensuing battle, the Ugarites masked their approach by marching through brushland before attacking the Syrians. In the ensuing battle, the lightly-armored Syrian raiders fought against well-armored Ugarite swordsmen, resulting in heavy losses for the Syrians. However, the Syrians utilized their light infantry's superior mobility to flank and slaughter the Ugarites, although their general Elhu died while helping to hold the line against the Ugarites. The Syrians were able to replenish some of their losses with the 117 Canaanite prisoners taken in battle. Elhu was replaced by Baldassare, who pressed the attack on Ugarit and overcame its 709 remaining defenders with 418 losses. Ugarit's fall confined the city-state of Ugarit to the cities of Carchemish and Khantap in present-day southeastern Turkey, while also bringing Retjenu up against the Amorite enclave of Tuba, their last stronghold.
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