The stele of Baal with Thunderbolt at The Louvre, Paris

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The decoration of this magnificent arched stela shows the great storm god Baal proudly holding a club and plunging a spear bursting with lush vegetation into the ground. A smaller figure, undoubtedly the king of Ugarit, appears to be under the powerful protection of the god. This stela, the most crucial of those discovered at Ugarit, testifies to the widespread production of stelae in the Near East, where they emerged as a major medium of artistic expression during the Late Bronze Age. The large stela in the Louvre bears the relief carving of a colossal male figure in action, towering over a much smaller figure standing on a pedestal. The horned headdress worn by the main figure indicates that he is a mighty god. He is facing right, his right arm raised high above his head and brandishing a club, while his other arm is outstretched and carrying a spear with its head stuck firmly in the ground, as vegetation sprouts out of its shaft. The god is wearing a thick beard, and two long coils of hair fall below his shoulders. At the waist of his short loincloth, which is decorated with colorful stripes, hangs a dagger, the tip of which seems to be touching the head of the small figure. The latter is wearing a long robe trimmed with intricate braid, which hides his arms. His small round head is bare. The pedestal on which he stands is a magnificent horned altar, smaller and less ornate than the one upon which the main figure stands: this altar consists of two rectangular tiers with protruding corners, each decorated with a flowing double line of unequal thickness. Today it is widely agreed that this scene depicts the god Baal unleashing a storm from the club he is brandishing in the traditional pose of the storm gods worshipped throughout the Levant - the Greek god Zeus and the Roman god Jupiter would later adopt the same pose and attributes. The beautiful visual metaphor of the spear transformed into a plant is an allusion to the beneficial effects of the rain produced by storms. The small figure crouching between the god and his spear is generally thought to be the king of Ugarit, in ceremonial dress, his arms crossed in prayer and the recipient of divine protection. Like the god, has he been shown placed on an altar as an allusion to his role as officiant in ceremonies? The motifs carved on the two-tiered altar on which the god stands are more difficult to interpret: is the monstrous snake who will cause the death of Baal depicted above the carved waves of the ocean? Or is it the horizon of mountains that surrounded the kingdom of Ugarit, protected by Baal, whose home is "in the innermost reaches of Mount Sapon." The stela depicting the storm god Baal is the largest and most significant of the stelae discovered at Ras Shamra. It was found, along with eight others, not far from the temple to which it gave its name: four were discovered near the Temple of Dagon and another ten in various locations around the city. Usually broader towards the bottom, the stelae were topped with an arch or a pyramid, and had either a lower part sunk into the ground or a wide base forming a set of steps. Comparison with stelae excavated on other Bronze Age Syrian-Palestinian sites, such as Byblos, Gezer, or Hazor, indicates that the stela was a major form of religious expression in the Levant. It could have a niche carved into it, as at Byblos, be decorated with astral motifs, or, as is the case with the most outstanding examples, depict a ritual scene or a deity.