Destruction of Ugarit

The coastal city of Ugarit in modern Syria was burned around 1185 BCE and never reoccupied. The last tablet found there is a desperate letter from the king basically saying 'the enemy ships are here, we have no troops, send help.' Nobody came. But Ugarit's destruction preserved an incredible archive of texts, including mythological poems in a unique cuneiform alphabet that's been huge for understanding Canaanite religion. Their loss was lowkey archaeology's gain.