Publikováno: 27.01.2026
Discover the real Danel, the legendary righteous figure of Ugaritic literature, whose story appears in the Epic of Aqhat and is echoed in Ezekiel as a symbol of wisdom and justice.
We explore the epic’s themes of divine-human boundaries, mortality, and the consequences of transgressing cosmic order, including drought, famine, and social disruption. Along the way, we compare Aqhat with the Epic of Kirta to understand how ancient Near Eastern audiences viewed kingship, morality, and the fragile balance between humans and gods.
František Válek is a scholar of the religions of the Ancient Near East, with a particular focus on Ugarit and the social, political, and religious contexts of Late Bronze Age texts closely related to the Hebrew Bible. His research engages extensively with Ugaritic epics such as Aqhat and Kirta, which are crucial for understanding the cultural and literary background of biblical traditions. He also combines traditional philology with digital humanities methods to analyze ancient texts and their transmission.
