# Talk:Minas Tirith

This is my first ever post so excuse me if it is clunky. I am struck by the coincidence of the invasion of Syria by the “Sea People” and the reports around 1200BC of the loss of the sea port first Minet-el Bida (translated White Harbour) before the fall of the capital Ugarit despite several requests for help to neighbours also under siege. The city state of Ugarit was truly a Byzantine one as mentioned by Tolkien and significant enough to have regular correspondence with the Egyptian pharaohs on an equal footing. Added to this geography and ancient history, the archaeology excavation began in 1928 with regular discoveries noted in the next decades, perhaps a source of new knowledge for the avid Tolkien’s story. I can’t add the image links but if you search on l8ne you will see the hilled citadel of Ugarit.
Thanks for reading In the middle of something (talk) 02:57, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

Welcome to Wikipedia. The parallels are interesting and would form the basis of a worthwhile research article in one of the Tolkien journals. As for Wikipedia, we are not allowed to publish new research; we are required to seek existing sources to cite in our articles. If you go ahead and study the connections you mention in a scholarly way and get your paper published, then we will certainly cite it here. Good luck! Chiswick Chap (talk) 05:27, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
Thanks for the advice In the middle of something (talk) 08:20, 30 August 2025 (UTC)