Difference between revisions of "Canaan" - New World Encyclopedia

From New World Encyclopedia
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'''Canaan''' ([[Canaanite languages| Canaanite]]: כנען, {{lang-he|כְּנַעַן}}  {{IPA|kə.na.ʕan}}, [[Koine Greek|Greek]]: Χαναάν whence [[Latin]]: ''Canaan''; and from Hebrew, [[Aramaic language| Aramaic]]: {{Unicode|ܟܢܥܢ}} whence {{lang-ar|کنعان}}) is an ancient term for a region approximating to present-day [[Israel]] and the [[West Bank and Gaza]], plus adjoining coastal lands and parts of [[Lebanon]] and [[Syria]]. The [[Hebrew Bible]] identifies Canaan with Lebanon — foremost with the coastal city of Sidon — but extends the "Land of Canaan" southward across [[Gaza]] to the "[[Brook of Egypt]]" and eastward to the [[Jordan Valley]], thus including modern [[Israel]] with the [[Palestinian Territories]]. This southern area included various ethnic groups. The [[Amarna Letters]] found in [[Ancient Egypt]] mention Canaan ([[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]: ''{{unicode|Kinaḫḫu}}'') in connection with Gaza and other cities along the [[Phoenicia]]n coast and into Upper [[Galilee]].  Many earlier Egyptian sources also make mention of numerous campaigns conducted in ''Ka-na-na'', just inside Asia.
 
'''Canaan''' ([[Canaanite languages| Canaanite]]: כנען, {{lang-he|כְּנַעַן}}  {{IPA|kə.na.ʕan}}, [[Koine Greek|Greek]]: Χαναάν whence [[Latin]]: ''Canaan''; and from Hebrew, [[Aramaic language| Aramaic]]: {{Unicode|ܟܢܥܢ}} whence {{lang-ar|کنعان}}) is an ancient term for a region approximating to present-day [[Israel]] and the [[West Bank and Gaza]], plus adjoining coastal lands and parts of [[Lebanon]] and [[Syria]]. The [[Hebrew Bible]] identifies Canaan with Lebanon — foremost with the coastal city of Sidon — but extends the "Land of Canaan" southward across [[Gaza]] to the "[[Brook of Egypt]]" and eastward to the [[Jordan Valley]], thus including modern [[Israel]] with the [[Palestinian Territories]]. This southern area included various ethnic groups. The [[Amarna Letters]] found in [[Ancient Egypt]] mention Canaan ([[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]: ''{{unicode|Kinaḫḫu}}'') in connection with Gaza and other cities along the [[Phoenicia]]n coast and into Upper [[Galilee]].  Many earlier Egyptian sources also make mention of numerous campaigns conducted in ''Ka-na-na'', just inside Asia.
  
Various Canaanite sites have been excavated by archaeologists, most notably the Canaanite town of [[Ugarit]] in modern Syria, which was rediscovered in [[1928]].  Much of the modern knowledge about the Canaanites stems from excavation in this area. Canaanites are mentioned in the [[Bible]], Mesopotamian and [[Ancient Egypt|Ancient Egyptian texts]], and have always normally been considered an ethnic group radiating out of Lebanon; though some recent sources, without specifying any evidence, have asserted an origin on the [[Arabian Peninsula]]<ref>Bernard Lewis (2002), The Arabs in History, Oxford University Press, USA; 6 New Edition, p. 17.</ref><ref name = "History">[http://www.history.com/encyclopedia.do?articleId=201334]</ref>.
+
Various Canaanite sites have been excavated by archaeologists, most notably the Canaanite town of [[Ugarit]] in modern Syria, which was rediscovered in 1928.  Much of the modern knowledge about the Canaanites stems from excavation in this area. Canaanites are mentioned in the [[Bible]], Mesopotamian and [[Ancient Egypt|Ancient Egyptian texts]], and have always normally been considered an ethnic group radiating out of Lebanon; though some recent sources, without specifying any evidence, have asserted an origin on the [[Arabian Peninsula]]<ref>Bernard Lewis (2002), The Arabs in History, Oxford University Press, USA; 6 New Edition, p. 17.</ref><ref name = "History">[http://www.history.com/encyclopedia.do?articleId=201334]</ref>.
  
 
==Etymology==
 
==Etymology==
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==Biblical Canaanites==
 
==Biblical Canaanites==
Ultimately, the [[Hebrew Bible]] identifies Canaan ({{lang-he|כְּנַעַן}}, ''Knaan'') with the coastal city of [[Sidon]], in modern Lebanon. This city dominated the Mediterranean coast and enjoyed wide hegemony over a number of ethnic groups, who are said to belong to the "Land of Canaan". The part of the book of [[Genesis]] often called the [[Table of Nations]] describes the Canaanites as being descended from a personifying ancestor called Canaan, saying ({{Niv|Genesis|10:15-19|Genesis 10:15–19}}):
+
The part of the book of [[Genesis]] often called the [[Table of Nations]] describes the Canaanites as being descended from a personifying ancestor called Canaan. It also lists several peoples about Canaan's descendants, saying ({{Niv|Genesis|10:15-19|Genesis 10:15–19}}):
  
<blockquote>Canaan is the father of Sidon, his firstborn; and of the [[Hittites]], [[Jebusites]], [[Amorites]], [[Girgashites]], [[Hivites]], [[Arkites]], [[Sinites]], [[Arvadites]], [[Zemarites]], and [[Hamathites]]. Later the Canaanite clans scattered, and the borders of Canaan reached [across the Mediterranean coast] from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then [inland around the Jordan Valley] toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.</blockquote>
+
<blockquote>Canaan is the father of Sidon, his firstborn; and of the [[Hittites]], [[Jebusites]], [[Amorites]], [[Girgashites]], [[Hivites]], [[Arkites]], [[Sinites]], [[Arvadites]], [[Zemarites]], and [[Hamathites]]. Later the Canaanite clans reportedly scattered, and the borders of Canaan reachedfrom Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then (inland around the Jordan Valley) toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.</blockquote>
  
 
Similarly, Canaanite populations are said to inhabit:
 
Similarly, Canaanite populations are said to inhabit:
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*the [[Jordan Valley]] ({{Niv|Joshua|11:3|Joshua 11:3}}, {{Niv|Numbers|13:29|Numbers 13:29}}, {{Niv|Genesis|13:12|Genesis 13:12}}).
 
*the [[Jordan Valley]] ({{Niv|Joshua|11:3|Joshua 11:3}}, {{Niv|Numbers|13:29|Numbers 13:29}}, {{Niv|Genesis|13:12|Genesis 13:12}}).
  
During the Canaanite Period of the [[Archaeology of Israel]], the cities of Canaan were ruled by vassals of the [[Egyptian Empire]]. The Table of Nations recognizes Egypt's regional influence and calls Canaan himself the "son of Ham", whose ethnicities, e.g. Egypt ("Mitzrayim"), are associated with Africa ({{Niv|Genesis|10:6|Genesis 10:6}}).
+
As discussed above, the cities of Canaan were ruled by vassals of the [[Egyptian Empire]] in the pre-Israelite period of the late [[Brozne Age]]. The Table of Nations recognizes Egypt's regional influence when it calls Canaan himself the "son of Ham," whose ethnicities are associated with Africa ({{Niv|Genesis|10:6|Genesis 10:6}}).
  
A biblical story involving Canaan seems to refer to the ancient discovery of the [[agriculture#history|cultivation]] of [[grapes]] around 4000 BC around the area of [[Ararat]], which is associated with [[Noah]].<ref>http://www.savoreachglass.com/articles.php/13</ref> After the Flood, [[Noah]] planted a vineyard, made wine but became drunk. While intoxicated, an [[Curse of Ham| incident]] occurred involving him and his youngest son, [[Ham, son of Noah|Ham]]. Afterward, Noah cursed Ham's son Canaan (but not Ham, for reasons that are not stated) to a life of servitude. He is to serve his brothers (who were not cursed either) and also his uncles [[Shem]] and [[Japheth]] ({{Niv |Genesis|9:20-27|Genesis 9:20–27}}). Noah's curse is typically interpreted to apply to the descendents of the mentioned figures. "Shem" refers the [[Israelites]], [[Moabites]], and [[Ammonites]], who dominated the Canaanite inland areas around the Jordan Valley.
+
A biblical story involving Canaan seems to refer to the ancient discovery of the [[agriculture#history|cultivation]] of [[grapes] around 4000 B.C.E. around the area of [[Ararat]], which is associated with [[Noah]].<ref>http://www.savoreachglass.com/articles.php/13</ref> After the Flood, [[Noah]] planted a vineyard, made wine but became drunk. While intoxicated, an [[Curse of Ham| incident]] occurred involving him and his youngest son, [[Ham, son of Noah|Ham]]. Afterward, Noah cursed Ham's son Canaan to a life of servitude. He is to serve his brothers and also his uncles [[Shem]] and [[Japheth]] ({{Niv |Genesis|9:20-27|Genesis 9:20–27}}). Noah's curse is typically interpreted to apply to the descendents of the mentioned figures. "Shem" was the ancestor of the [[Israelites]], [[Moabites]], [[Eddomites]], and [[Ammonites]], who dominated the Canaanite inland areas around the Jordan Valley.
  
 
The Canaanites ({{lang-he|כנענים }}, [[Standard Hebrew]] ''Knaanim'', [[Tiberian Hebrew]] ''Kəna‘anîm'') are said to have been one of seven regional ethnic divisions or "nations" driven out before the [[Israelites]]. Specifically, the other nations include the [[Hittites in the Bible| Hittites]], the  [[Girgashites]], the [[Amorites]], the [[Perizzites]], the [[Hivites]], and the [[Jebusites]] ({{Niv|Deuteronomy|7:1|Deuteronomy 7:1}}).
 
The Canaanites ({{lang-he|כנענים }}, [[Standard Hebrew]] ''Knaanim'', [[Tiberian Hebrew]] ''Kəna‘anîm'') are said to have been one of seven regional ethnic divisions or "nations" driven out before the [[Israelites]]. Specifically, the other nations include the [[Hittites in the Bible| Hittites]], the  [[Girgashites]], the [[Amorites]], the [[Perizzites]], the [[Hivites]], and the [[Jebusites]] ({{Niv|Deuteronomy|7:1|Deuteronomy 7:1}}).
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{{Sons of Noah}}
 
{{Sons of Noah}}
  
===Canaanite Kings===
+
===Critical view===
*Canaan, son of Ham
+
Bible critics often take the view that biblical attitude toward the people of Canaan is the product of a seventh century B.C.E. outlook promulgated by priests centered in the [[Jerusalem Temple]], especially during the reign of King [[Josiah]]. It thus represents the [[ideology]] and program of a later era, rathrer than an truly divine policy of [[genocide]] revealed to Moses.
*[[Sidon]], son of Canaan
+
 
*[[Heth]], son of Canaan
+
In additional many archaeologists believe that the Israelites themselves were, for the most part, Canaanites who federated into nations of Judah and Israel from the eleventh century B.C.E. onward, rather than descending en masse to conquer Canaan under Joshua as the Bible reports. Stories of the biblical conquest of Canaan may, in fact, represent the memories of occasional Apiru victories written down several centuries after the fact and taylored to fit the political agenda of Josiah's time: namely, to allow the worship of [[Yahweh]] only and cleanse the nation of Canaanite cultural influences.
*[[Adonizedek]]
+
 
*[[Aziru]]  
+
According to this and similar theories, only a small portion of the people later called Israelites actually migrated to Egypt. Groups such as the Hyksos, Apiru, and Shasu may indeed have come north into Canaan at some point. The Shasu in particular are believed to have been worshipers of Yahweh, while the Apiru appear to have been nomadic hersdmen living outside of large settlements and sometimes attacking or conquering them. The Hyksos once lived as the dominant group in Egypt but were driven out during the reign of ----------. These three groups could have contributed to the Israelite religion, legends of conquest, and the story of the Exodus, respectively.
*[[Debir]]
 
*[[Labaya]]
 
*[[Jabin]]
 
*[[Mamre]]
 
*[[Eshcol]]
 
*[[Aner]]
 
*[[Sihon]]
 
*[[Og]]
 
  
 
==Phoenician Canaanites==
 
==Phoenician Canaanites==

Revision as of 20:44, 23 February 2007

Map of Canaan


Canaan ( Canaanite: כנען, Hebrew: כְּנַעַן kə.na.ʕan, Greek: Χαναάν whence Latin: Canaan; and from Hebrew, Aramaic: ܟܢܥܢ whence Arabic: کنعان) is an ancient term for a region approximating to present-day Israel and the West Bank and Gaza, plus adjoining coastal lands and parts of Lebanon and Syria. The Hebrew Bible identifies Canaan with Lebanon — foremost with the coastal city of Sidon — but extends the "Land of Canaan" southward across Gaza to the "Brook of Egypt" and eastward to the Jordan Valley, thus including modern Israel with the Palestinian Territories. This southern area included various ethnic groups. The Amarna Letters found in Ancient Egypt mention Canaan (Akkadian: Kinaḫḫu) in connection with Gaza and other cities along the Phoenician coast and into Upper Galilee. Many earlier Egyptian sources also make mention of numerous campaigns conducted in Ka-na-na, just inside Asia.

Various Canaanite sites have been excavated by archaeologists, most notably the Canaanite town of Ugarit in modern Syria, which was rediscovered in 1928. Much of the modern knowledge about the Canaanites stems from excavation in this area. Canaanites are mentioned in the Bible, Mesopotamian and Ancient Egyptian texts, and have always normally been considered an ethnic group radiating out of Lebanon; though some recent sources, without specifying any evidence, have asserted an origin on the Arabian Peninsula[1][2].

Etymology

The name Canaan is of obscure origins, with one possibility being the non-Semitic Hurrian "Knaa" or Akkadian Kinahhu, meaning "blue cloth snales." The first known references appear in the second millennium B.C.E., possibly from Hurrian sources in the Mesopotamian city of Nuzi.

Canaanite refers to a group of closely related Semitic languages. Hebrew was once a southern dialect of the Canaanite language, and Ugaritic a northern one. Canaanite is the first language to use a Semitic alphabet, from which most other scripts derive.

The Bible attributes the name to a single person, Canaan, the son of Ham and the grandson of Noah, whose offspring correspond to the names of various ethnic groups in the land of Canaan,(Genesis 10). The Table associates Canaan foremost with the coastal city of Sidon in modern Lebanon. While acknowledging the hegemony of the Canaanites, they are considered one ethnic group among several in the area, including biblical "Hittites" from Hatti in the area known today as Turkey.

Nowadays, the English word Canaanite can describe anything pertaining to Canaan, especially its culture, languages, religions, and inhabitants. The language of ancient Amon and Moab in the area of modern Jordan can be called eastern dialects of Canaanite, although these ethnic groups are not Canaanite, properly speaking.

Canaan in Mesopotamian inscriptions

Historically, one of the first mentions of Canaan appears in a document from the eighteenth century B.C.E. found in the ruins of Mari, a former Sumerian outpost in Syria. Apparently, Canaan at this time existed as a distinct political entity (probably a loose confederation of city-states).

Soon after this, the great law-giver Hammurabi (1728-1686 B.C.E.), first king of a united Babylonia, extended Babylonian influence over Canaan and Syria. E. Schrader[3] associated Hammurabi with the Amraphel of Genesis, but according to The Oxford Companion to the Bible, this view has been largely abandoned in recent years[4].

Tablets found in the Mesopotamian city of Nuzi use the term Kinahnu ("Canaan") as a synonym for red or purple dye, apparently a renowned Canaanite export commodity. The purple cloth of Tyre in Phoenicia was well known far and wide.

Archaeological excavations of a number of sites later identified as Canaanite, show that prosperity of the region reached its zenith during this Middle Bronze Age period. In the north the cities of Yamkhad and Qatna were hegemons of important confederacies and it would appear that biblical Hazor was the chief city of another important coalition in the south.

Egyptian Canaan

The name Canaan occurs in hieroglyphs as kAnana on the Merneptah Stele in the 13th century B.C.E.

During the second millennium B.C.E., Ancient Egyptian texts refer to Canaan as an Egyptian province, whose boundaries generally corroborate the definition of Canaan found in the Hebrew Bible: bounded to the west by the Mediterranean Sea, to the north in the vicinity of Hamath in Syria, to the east by the Jordan Valley, and to the south by a line extended from the Dead Sea to around Gaza (Numbers 34).

At the end of what is referred to as the Middle Kingdom era of Egypt, was a breakdown in centralized power, the assertion of independence by various rulers and the assumption of power in the Delta by the kings of the 17th Dynasty. Around 1674 B.C.E., these rulers, whom the Egyptians referred to as "rulers from foreign lands" (Egyptian, Heqa Khasut), hence "Hyksos" (Greek), came to control northern Egypt, evidently leaving Canaan an ethnically diverse land.

Among the migrant tribes who appear to have settled in the region were the Amorites. In the Old Testament, we find Amorites mentioned in the list of peoples in Gen. 10:16-18. The Amorites seem to have played a significant role in the early history of Canaan. Some biblical sources describe them as located in the southern mountain country, (Gen. 14:7, Josh. 10:5, Deut. 1:19, 27, 44). Other verses speak of Amorite kings residing at Heshbon and Ashtaroth, east of the Jordan (Num. 21:13, Josh. 9:10, 24:8, 12, etc). Still other passages seem to regard Amorite virtually synonymous with "Canaanite" (Gen. 15:16, 48:22, Josh. 24:15, Judg. 1:34, etc) — except that "Amorite" is not used for the population on the coast, of described as Philistines.

In Egyptian inscriptions, the terms Amar and Amurru are applied strictly to the more northerly mountain region east of Phoenicia, extending to the Orontes. Later on, Amurru became the Assyrian term for the interior of south as well as for northerly Canaan. At this time the Canaanite area seemed divided between two confederacies, one centred upon Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley, the second on the more northerly city of Kadesh on the Orontes River.

In the centuries preceding the appearance of the Biblical Hebrews, Canaan and Syria became tributary to the Egypt, although domination was not so strong as to prevent frequent local rebellions and inter-city struggles. Under Thutmose III (1479–1426 B.C.E.) and Amenhotep II (1427–1400 B.C.E.), the regular presence of the strong hand of the Egyptian ruler and his armies kept the Syrians and Canaanites sufficiently loyal. The reign of Amenhotep III, however, was not quite so tranquil for the Asiatic province. It is believed that turbulent chiefs began to seek their opportunities, although as a rule could not succed without the help of a neighboring king.

Egyptian power in Canaan suffered a setback when the Hittites (or Hatti) advanced into Syria in the reign of Amenhotep III, and became even more threatening in that of his successor, displacing the Amurru and prompting a resumption of Semitic migration. The Canaanite city-king Abd-Ashirta and his son Aziru, at first afraid of the Hittites, afterwards made a treaty with them. Joining with other external powers, they attacked the districts remaining loyal to Egypt.

In the el Amarna letters (c. 1350 B.C.E.) sent by governors and princes of Canaan to their Egyptian overlord Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV) in the 14th century B.C.E. — commonly known as the Tel-el-Amarna tablets — we find, beside Amar and Amurru (Amorites), the two forms Kinahhi and Kinahni, corresponding to Kena' and Kena'an respectively, and including Syria in its widest extent, as Eduard Meyer has shown. The letters are written in the official and diplomatic language Babylonian/Akkadian, though "Canaanitish" words and idioms are also in evidence.

In one such letter, Rib-Addi of Biblos sends a touching appeal for aid to his distant Egyptian ruler Amenhotep IV, who was apparently too engaged in his religious innovations to respond to such messages. Rib-addi also refers to attacks from the Apiru, possibly refering to Abdi-Ashirta's Hittite allies, but thought by some scholars to refer to bands of proto-Iraelites (Apiru is etymologically similar to "Hebrews") that had attacked him and other Canaanite kings during this period. The period corresponds to the biblical period prior to the judges.

Rib-addi says to his lord, the King of Lands, the Great King, the King of Battle: May the Lady of Gubla grant power to the king, my lord. At the feet of my lord, my Sun, I fall down seven times and seven times. Be informed that since Amanappa's arrival to me, all the 'Apiru have turned their face against me at the instigation of Abdi-Ashirta. Let my lord listen to the words of his servant, and let him send me a garrison to defend the city of the king, until the archers come out. And if there are no archers, then all the lands will unite with the 'Apiru. Listen, since the conquest of Bit-Arha in accordance with the demand of Abdi-Ashirta, they seek in the same way to unite Gubla and Batruna; and thus all lands would be united with the 'Apiru. Two cities remain with me, and they are also attempting to take them from the king's hand. Let my lord send a garrison to his two cities until the arrival of the archers, and give me something to feed them. I have nothing. Like a bird that lies in a net, a kilubi/cage, so I am in Gubla.

Seti I (ca. 1290 B.C.E.) is said to have conquered the Shasu, Arabian nomads living just south and east of the Dead Sea, from the fortress of Taru (Shtir?) to "Ka-n-'-na", and Ramesses III (ca. 1194 B.C.E.) is said to have built a temple to the god Amen in "Ka-n-'-na". This geographic name probably meant all of western Syria and Canaan, with Raphia, "the (first) city of the Ka-n-'-na", on the southwest boundary toward the desert. Some archaeologists have proposed that Egyptian records of the 13th century B.C.E. are early written reports of a monotheistic belief in Yahweh noted among the nomadic Shasu. Evidently, belief in Yahweh displaced polytheistic beliefs that had arisen among the early Hebrews, during and after the reign of King Josiah (around 650 B.C.E.)[5][6].

Most interesting is the mention of troublesome groups called sometimes SA-GAZ (a Sumerian ideogram glossed as "brigand" in Akkadian), and sometimes Habiri (an Akkadian word). These Habiri are believed by some to signify generally all the nomadic tribes known as "Hebrews", and particularly the early Israelites, who sought to appropriate the fertile region for themselves. The term may also include other related peoples such as the Moabites, Ammonites and Edomites, or may not be an ethnonym at all; see the Habiru article for details.

In the El Amarna letters(~1350 B.C.E.), we meet with the Habiri in northern Syria. Itakkama wrote thus to the Pharaoh, "Behold, Namyawaza has surrendered all the cities of the king, my lord to the SA-GAZ in the land of Kadesh and in Ubi. But I will go, and if thy gods and thy sun go before me, I will bring back the cities to the king, my lord, from the Habiri, to show myself subject to him; and I will expel the SA-GAZ." Similarly Zimrida, king of Sidon, declared, "All my cities which the king has given into my hand, have come into the hand of the Habiri." The king of Jerusalem, Abdi-heba, reported to the Pharaoh, "If (Egyptian) troops come this year, lands and princes will remain to the king, my lord; but if troops come not, these lands and princes will not remain to the king, my lord." Abdi-heba's principle trouble arose from persons called Iilkili and the sons of Labaya, who are said to have entered into a treasonable league with the Habiri. Apparently this restless warrior found his death at the siege of Gina. All these princes, however, maligned each other in their letters to the Pharaoh, and protested their own innocence of traitorous intentions. Namyawaza, for instance, whom Itakkama (see above) accused of disloyalty, wrote thus to the Pharaoh, "Behold, I and my warriors and my chariots, together with my brethren and my SA-GAZ, and my Suti ?9 are at the disposal of the (royal) troops to go whithersoever the king, my lord, commands"[7].

Biblical Canaanites

The part of the book of Genesis often called the Table of Nations describes the Canaanites as being descended from a personifying ancestor called Canaan. It also lists several peoples about Canaan's descendants, saying (Genesis 10:15–19):

Canaan is the father of Sidon, his firstborn; and of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans reportedly scattered, and the borders of Canaan reachedfrom Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then (inland around the Jordan Valley) toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

Similarly, Canaanite populations are said to inhabit:

As discussed above, the cities of Canaan were ruled by vassals of the Egyptian Empire in the pre-Israelite period of the late Brozne Age. The Table of Nations recognizes Egypt's regional influence when it calls Canaan himself the "son of Ham," whose ethnicities are associated with Africa (Genesis 10:6).

A biblical story involving Canaan seems to refer to the ancient discovery of the cultivation of [[grapes] around 4000 B.C.E. around the area of Ararat, which is associated with Noah.[8] After the Flood, Noah planted a vineyard, made wine but became drunk. While intoxicated, an incident occurred involving him and his youngest son, Ham. Afterward, Noah cursed Ham's son Canaan to a life of servitude. He is to serve his brothers and also his uncles Shem and Japheth (Genesis 9:20–27). Noah's curse is typically interpreted to apply to the descendents of the mentioned figures. "Shem" was the ancestor of the Israelites, Moabites, Eddomites, and Ammonites, who dominated the Canaanite inland areas around the Jordan Valley.

The Canaanites (Hebrew: כנענים , Standard Hebrew Knaanim, Tiberian Hebrew Kəna‘anîm) are said to have been one of seven regional ethnic divisions or "nations" driven out before the Israelites. Specifically, the other nations include the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites (Deuteronomy 7:1).

The Bible describes God cautioning the Israelites against the sexual idolatry of the Canaanites and their fertility cult (Leviticus 18:27). Thus the Land of the Canaanites, as defined by these seven groups was deemed suitable for conquest by the Israelites partly on moral grounds (Deuteronomy 20:16–17). One of the 613 mitzvot prescribes that no inhabitants of the cities of six Canaanite nations, the same as mentioned in 7:1, minus the Girgashites, were to be left alive.

Critical view

Bible critics often take the view that biblical attitude toward the people of Canaan is the product of a seventh century B.C.E. outlook promulgated by priests centered in the Jerusalem Temple, especially during the reign of King Josiah. It thus represents the ideology and program of a later era, rathrer than an truly divine policy of genocide revealed to Moses.

In additional many archaeologists believe that the Israelites themselves were, for the most part, Canaanites who federated into nations of Judah and Israel from the eleventh century B.C.E. onward, rather than descending en masse to conquer Canaan under Joshua as the Bible reports. Stories of the biblical conquest of Canaan may, in fact, represent the memories of occasional Apiru victories written down several centuries after the fact and taylored to fit the political agenda of Josiah's time: namely, to allow the worship of Yahweh only and cleanse the nation of Canaanite cultural influences.

According to this and similar theories, only a small portion of the people later called Israelites actually migrated to Egypt. Groups such as the Hyksos, Apiru, and Shasu may indeed have come north into Canaan at some point. The Shasu in particular are believed to have been worshipers of Yahweh, while the Apiru appear to have been nomadic hersdmen living outside of large settlements and sometimes attacking or conquering them. The Hyksos once lived as the dominant group in Egypt but were driven out during the reign of ----------. These three groups could have contributed to the Israelite religion, legends of conquest, and the story of the Exodus, respectively.

Phoenician Canaanites

Early on the Canaanites acquired fame as traders across a wide area beyond the Near East. There are occasional instances in the Hebrew Bible where "Canaanite" is used as a synonym for "merchant" — presumably indicating the aspect of Canaanite culture that the authors found most familiar. The term was derived from the place name, because so many merchants described themselves as Canaanites.

One of Canaan's most famous exports was a much sought-after purple dye, derived from two species of sea snails found along the east Mediterranean coast and worn proudly by figures from ancient kings to modern popes.

Between ca. 1200–1100 B.C.E., most of southern Canaan was conquered by Israelites, while the northern areas were taken over by Arameans. The remaining area still under clear Canaanite control, is referred to by its Greek name, "Phoenicia" (meaning "purple", in reference to the land's famous dye).

Much later, in the 6th century B.C.E., Hecataeus affirms that Phoenicia was formerly called χνα, a name that Philo of Byblos subsequently adopted into his mythology as his eponym for the Phoenicians: "Khna who was afterwards called Phoinix". Quoting fragments attributed to Sanchuniathon, he relates that Byblos, Berytus and Tyre were among the first cities ever built, under the rule of the mythical Cronus, and credits the inhabitants with developing fishing, hunting, agriculture, shipbuiding and writing.

St. Augustine also mentions that one of the terms the seafaring Phoenicians called their homeland was "Canaan." This is further confirmed by coins of the city of Laodicea by the Lebanon, that bear the legend, "Of Laodicea, a metropolis in Canaan"; these coins are dated to the reign of Antiochus IV ( 175–164 B.C.E.) and his successors.

The first of many Canaanites who emigrated seaward finally settled in Carthage, and St. Augustine adds that the country people near Hippo, presumably Punic in origin, still called themselves Chanani in his day.

Genetics

{{#invoke:Message box|ambox}} <—! The Phoenicians are the Canaanites proper.[citation needed] —> Genetic research using Y-chromosome haploid analysis has identified a Phoenician genetic marker (a so-to-speak "Canaanite gene") among modern Lebanese populations, including among Maronite Christians and Shiite Muslims, especially near the coast.[9] Initial findings evidence the modern Lebanese gene pools comprise indigenous Canaanites, followed by immigration waves from Arabs, Crusader Europeans, and Seljuk Turks. The American University of Beirut launched the Phoenician genographic project to precisely map the genetic makeup of the Lebanese population and even the Mediterranean populations where ancient Canaanites colonized. A high-frequency of the Canaanite gene has even been detected in Malta, an island that Phoenicians colonized.

Further reading

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  1. Bernard Lewis (2002), The Arabs in History, Oxford University Press, USA; 6 New Edition, p. 17.
  2. [1]
  3. SCHRADER, E. Cuneiform Inscriptions and the Old Testament, vol II (1888), pp. 299ff.
  4. The Oxford Companion to the Bible.
  5. Who Were the Early Israelites?, William G. Dever. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2003, pp. 128, 236.
  6. Neil A. Silberman and Israel Finkelstein, The Bible Unearthed. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2001.
  7. El Amarna letter, EA 189.
  8. http://www.savoreachglass.com/articles.php/13
  9. Genetics of Phœnicians.