Learning the history of modern-day Israel and Palestine follows the development of civilization. In past posts, we covered prehistoric society in the Levant (which includes present-day Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and part of Syria), and this week, we will begin to discuss the people who occupied modern-day Palestine and Israel during the Bronze Age.
Human civilization significantly advanced during the Bronze Age. Wheels and metalworking were invented during this period, and pyramids were built. The Bronze Age also saw the formation of organized governments and city-states and the creation of the first empires as societies became more complex than civilizations such as the Natufians, which we discussed in a prior article. Humanities’ earliest written accounts, such as surviving Egyptian and Phoenician 15th-century writings that describe Canaan, from this period.
Orthostatic, Basalt, Karkamis Gaziantep. Neo-Hittites. Hittite writing in stone relief. 900-700 B.C.
As humans evolved from nomadic hunters and gathered to a more sedentary lifestyle, Canaanites settled in modern-day Israel and Palestine. Canaanites established themselves in modern-day Jerusalem around 2600 B.C. and occupied the area until about 1200 B.C.
Illustration of Canaan. Pearson Scott Foresman, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The origins of the Canaanites, a fascinating subject of study, are primarily derived from references in the Hebrew Bible and archaeological evidence. The Hebrew Bible intriguingly suggests that the Canaanites originated as descendants of Canaan, Ham’s son and Noah’s grandson, a figure known for his biblical story of building an ark during a great flood.
Conversely, archaeological evidence shows that Canaanites were a multicultural group that settled in Cannan because of its strategic location. They practiced different religions and were not politically united as they formed various City-States.
A Canaanite man tile from Ramses III palace, with gazelles and the tree of life - a Canaanite national symbol. פעמי-עליון, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
Although the Canaanite origin story differs between Biblical and archaeological sources, Biblical and archaeological evidence agree that as people began to settle and create more complex societies in the Levant, the land previously dominated by the Nautifians became known as Canaan (in addition to being called Canaan archaeological evidence shows the Greeks also called the area Phoenicia). During this period, Canaan likely included modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
The major Canaanite city-states in the Bronze Age. The 20 cities selected for the Southern portion of the map are from The Southern Levant (Cisjordan) during the Late Bronze Age (2013) by Nava Panitz-Cohen (University of Jerusalem). IYY, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Canaan, a land bridge connecting Africa, Asia, and Europe, held a pivotal role in international trade and was a frequent military target. Its strategic importance and the continual military campaigns against it from empires such as the Akkadians and the Egyptians make for a truly awe-inspiring historical narrative. Despite these challenges, the Canaanites continued to dominate the area until the Dark Ages of the Bronze Period, known as the Bronze Age Collapse during the 13th - 12th centuries BCE.
Image from Southern Nazarene University website in an article titled "Canaan: A strategic land bridge at the crossroads between Europe/Asia and Africa"
During the Middle Bronze Age (2000 - 1550 BCE), the Amorites migrated from the northeast. They became the dominant population, pushing out the Canaanites. Abraham, the first Hebrew patriarch and founder of Judaism, left Ur in Mesopotamia and traveled toward Canaan in 1800 when the Amorites were the majority of the people. Invaders during this time included the Egyptian and Akkadian Empires, followed by the Huyksos and the Hurrians. Our next post will detail the Empires that strategically invaded and conquered Canaan.
Stay tuned for our next post, ‘The Fight Over Canaan: Ancient Conflicts and Modern Implications,’ where we delve into various empires' strategic invasions and conquests of Canaan. Subscribe now so you don’t miss out on this exciting chapter of history.
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Reference:
“Timeline: 3100-1000 BCE.” Oxford Reference. HistoryWorld, October 7, 2012. Accessed October 27, 2023. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780191735363.timeline.0001.
“Who Were the Canaanites.” Live Science. September 8, 2016. Accessed October 28, 2023. https://www.livescience.com/56016-canaanites.html.
“The Philistines in Canaan and Palestine.” Luwain Studies. Accessed November 21, 2023. https://luwianstudies.org/the-philistines-in-canaan-and-palestine/.
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Canaan.” Encyclopedia Britannica, August 26, 2023. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/place/Canaan-historical-region-Middle-East.
Mark, Joshua J.. “Canaan.” World History Encyclopedia. Last modified October 23, 2018. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://www.worldhistory.org/canaan/.