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Canaan
- Brittanica
Canaan
historical region, Middle East
Britannica Editors
History
Canaan, area variously defined in historical and biblical
literature, but always centered on the region of Palestine. Its original
pre-Israelite inhabitants were called Canaanites. The names Canaan and
Canaanite occur in cuneiform, Egyptian, and Phoenician writings from about the
15th century BCE as well as in the Hebrew Bible. In these sources, “Canaan”
refers sometimes to an area encompassing all of Palestine and Syria, sometimes
only to the land west of the Jordan River, and sometimes just to a strip of
coastal land from Acre (ʿAkko) northward. The Bible identifies Canaan as
the Promised Land—the land promised to the Israelites by God—and the Israelites
settled in Canaan beginning in the late 2nd millennium BCE, or perhaps earlier.
The origin of the term Canaan is disputed, but it may
derive from an old Semitic word denoting “reddish purple,” referring to the
rich purple or crimson dye produced in the area or to the wool colored with the
dye. Biblically, Canaanites are identified in Genesis as descendants of Canaan,
a son of Ham and grandson of Noah. See also Phoenicia.
The human habitation of coastal Canaan can be traced back
to Paleolithic and Mesolithic times, and excavations have revealed that a
settled community and an agricultural way of life existed at the site of
Jericho by 8000 BCE. More widespread settlement in fixed towns and villages
appears not to have occurred until the Neolithic Period (c. 7000–c. 4000 BCE).
The following period, called the Chalcolithic Age (c. 4000–c. 3000 BCE), was
characterized by the use of pottery and copper and by houses of uncut stones,
with walls of mud brick.
The introduction of bronze in the Early Bronze Age (c.
3000–2000 BCE) brought about a cultural revolution, marked by the development
of metallurgy and by a decline in painted pottery. Semitic-speaking peoples
first appeared in Canaan during this period. With the Middle Bronze Age (c.
2000–c. 1550 BCE), recorded history in the area began. The Semitic-speaking
Amorites, who penetrated Canaan from the northeast, became the dominant element
of the population during this time. Other invaders included the Egyptians and
the Hyksos, a group of Asian peoples who seem to have migrated there from north
of Palestine. The Hurrians (the Horites of the Hebrew Bible) also came to
Canaan from the north.
The Late Bronze Age (c. 1550–c. 1200 BCE) was mainly one of
Egyptian dominance in Canaan, although their power there was contested by the
Hittites of Anatolia. The period was also marked by incursions of marauders
called Hapiru, or Habiru (Egyptian: ʿApiru). This term was apparently
applied by the Egyptians to other peoples or social groups who were of foreign
origin. Many scholars feel that among the Hapiru were the original Hebrews, of
whom the later Israelites were only one branch or confederation.
By the end of the 13th century BCE, Egypt’s domination over
southern Canaan had waned, and the Hittites collapsed under the assault of
enemies from the north. During the transition from the Late Bronze to the Early
Iron Age—probably about 1250 BCE—the Israelites entered Canaan, settling at
first in the hill country and in the south. The Israelites’ infiltration was
opposed by the Canaanites, who continued to hold the stronger cities of the
region. In the following century, Canaan suffered further invasion at the hands
of the Philistines, who appear to have come from Crete. They eventually
established a coalition of five city-states on the southern coast of Canaan.
Under the leadership of King David (10th century BCE), the Israelites were
finally able to break the Philistine power and at the same time to vanquish the
native Canaanites, taking the city of Jerusalem. Thereafter Canaan became, for
all practical purposes, the Land of Israel.
Modern knowledge of Canaan’s history and culture is derived
from both archeological excavations and from literary sources. Excavations,
mainly in the 20th century, have unearthed the remains of many important
Canaanite cities, including Bet Sheʾan, Gezer, Hazor, Jericho, Jerusalem,
Lachish, Megiddo, and Shechem. The most important literary sources for the
region’s history are the Hebrew Bible; the Ras Shamra texts discovered at the
site of ancient Ugarit, on the north coast of Syria; and the Amarna Letters, a
set of dispatches sent in the 14th century BCE by governors of Syro-Palestinian
vassal states to their Egyptian overlords.
Canaan was situated at the crossroads of several cultures,
and throughout its recorded history its art and literature illustrate a mixture
of many elements: Egyptian, Mycenaean, Cretan, Hurrian, and Mesopotamian. Most
of what is known about Canaanite religion is derived from a series of tablets
discovered at Ras Shamra. The principal god was El, but the jurisdiction over
rainfall and fertility was delegated to Baal, or Hadad. Other important deities
included Resheph, lord of plague and the nether world; Kothar, the divine craftsman;
Asherah, consort of El; and Astarte, goddess of fertility.
The languages of the Canaanites were closely related to Hebrew,
with which they were mutually intelligible. The Canaanites were also the first
people, as far as is known, to have used an alphabet. In Late Bronze Age strata
at the site of Lachish, archaeologists have found a form of script that is
recognized by most scholars as the parent of Phoenician and thence of the Greek
and Latin alphabets. They also found that a curious cuneiform alphabet was in
use at Ugarit. Side by side with these innovations, however, the traditional
syllabic cuneiform of Mesopotamia was regularly employed.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
This article was most recently revised and updated by
Michele Metych.