Why was the land called Cannan so important?
Many think of the land of Canaan as a monolithic society and use it as a starting point to discuss Indigenous identity in modern Israel and Palestine. As discussed in our last article, Canaan was a multiethnic society with a diverse population of various City-States and diverse political bodies. The United States of America is a comparable contemporary society, as both nations have large land areas and diverse populations.
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.
As we discussed in “The Creation of the Land of Canaan, A Journey Through Time, the land of Canaan encompassed modern-day Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. A lot of the diversity in Canann’s population was due to migration, immigration, and military advancements rooted in Canaan’s strategic location near the great Empires of its time and its location as the only landbridge connecting Africa, Asia, and Europe, making it an ideal military target for ambitious tribes and the great Empires of the Bronze Age.
This reference document discusses the Canaanite people and rulers during the Bronze Age. It is an excellent resource for familiarizing oneself with the people of Canaan.
Pella Canaanite temple built around 1650 BC and excavated between 1994 and 2006 by archaeologists from Sydney University. Dosseman, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
The Akkadians - Early Bronze Age
The Early Bronze Age saw the rise of the Akkadian Empire, forged by Sargon the Great, who unified Mesopotamia. The Akkadian Empire is renowned as the world’s first multi-national political entity. The Akkadian Empire became the first Empire to make a military advance onto Canaan, absorbing the region encompassing Canaan into its Empire around 2300 B.C., which flourished until it fell to invading armies around 2083 B.C. The Akkadians strategically invaded and used Canaan to attack the Egyptian Empire.
Akkadian Empire soldiers on the victory stele of Naram-Sin circa 2250 BC. Rama, CC BY-SA 2.0 FR <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/fr/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons
The Phoenicians
Archeological evidence shows that the Phoenicians lived in Canaan from the Early Bronze Age (3000-1200 BC) until the Iron Age (1200 -333 BC). Phonecia was a coalition of independent City-States in modern-day Lebanon, coastal Israel, and Syria. The Hyksos, Egyptians, and Hittites periodically invaded, conquered, and controlled Phoenicia.
Melqart, god of the Phoenician city of Tyre, from the National Museum in Denmark. Akrasia25, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
The Hyksos - Middle Bronze Age
The Hyksos, a Semitic people, were Asiatic immigrants who arrived in Canaan during the Middle Bronze Age. Like the Akkadians, The Hyksos used Canaan to gain footing in Lower Egypt, eventually becoming powerful enough to take control of the Delta and a large part of Lower Egypt. The Hyksos maintained dominance in Canaan until the Egyptians drove them out.
"This is an impression of a Levantine cylinder seal bearing an ancient Egyptian royal name. Once tentatively read as "Khondy" and attributed to a Hyksos ruler of the Second Intermediate Period, it was also attributed to Neferkare Khendu of the First Intermediate Period and, in more recent times, to the last of the Hyksos kings, Khamudi. Today, the cylinder cartouche likely contains some "space-filler hieroglyphs," is datable to the late Middle Kingdom or early Hyksos period, and comes from Byblos." Flinders Petrie (1853-1942), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Hittites of Anatolia - Late Bronze Age
The Hittites were an Indo-European group from modern-day Turkey who arrived in Canaan around the 1300’s B.C. During the Late Bronze Age, the Hittites of Anatolia fought the Egyptians over the land of Canaan.
The Egyptians and Hittites of Anatolia fought many battles over various territories during this time; one battle led to the world’s first known peace treaty. The fight between the Egyptians and Hittites of Anatolia in Canaan was part of a larger conflict; however, their battle over Canaan highlights how Kingdoms fought over Canaan because of its strategic location.
This is a map of the Hittite Empire with its vassals from around 1300 BC. Ennomus, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Habiru - Late Bronze Age
Habiru (some scholars argue that Hebrews are included in this group) repeatedly raided the land of Canaan while the Egyptians and Hittites of Anatolia fought over it.
Areas of Habiru (Hapiru, Khabiri, Apiru) activity as reported in the Amarna letters corpus (LBIIA). PioGal; © Sémhur / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0; © Sweet Publishing / CC-BY-SA-3.0; the Metropolitan Museum of Art / CC-Zero, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
The Egyptians - Late Bronze Age
After years of being of different tribes and Kingdoms using the land of Canaan to attack them, the Egyptians dominated Southern Canaan, absorbing parts to build a buffer around their border to stop foreigners from invading it during the Lage Bronze Age.
This is a territorial map of the New Kingdom in ancient Egypt. ArdadN, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Bronze Collapse
The Bronze Age Collapse is a significant event in human history. The Collapse had a profound impact on the land of Canaan. The Egyptians’ and Hittites’ power over Canaan began to wane toward the end of the 13th century B.C. when both civilizations collapsed under enemy assaults from the Sea People of the North, drought, and famine. In this vacuum, the Israelites entered Canaan around 1220 BCE, and the Philistines (the name Palestine means land of the Philistines) gained dominance during the decline of Canaan.
A map showing the collapse of the Bronze Age (conflicts and movements of people). Lommes, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
Conclusion
In brief, there are over 13,000 years of history of various people and land ownership of modern-day Israel and Palestine, known as the land of Canaan during antiquity, which began thousands of years before Israelis or Palestineans occupied the land. Canaan was wedged between the great empires of the Akkadians and Egyptians and was located along a strategic trade route; therefore, many Kindgoms and tribes attacked and settled in Canaan during the Bronze Age.
Understanding Canaan's rich and diverse history can clarify discussions of Indigenous Peoples and the modern Israel - Palestine conflict. It can also aid in examining historical land possession from thousands of years ago and how ancient ownership should contribute to contemporary society.
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References:
"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/.
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