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Canaan
Canaan is an ancient region in the middle east. The "Land of Canaan"
covers modern Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and more. This ancient civilization
was known to the Egyptians and Mesopotamians, and have been mentioned in the
Christian Bible.
According to the Bible, Canaan, son of Ham, was cursed by
his grandfather Noah. He set off to found a brave new world. Canaanites are
thought to be descended from him.
Several Canaanite sites have been found and excavated. Much
of our understanding of Canaanite civilization have come from these
excavations, most notably the town of Ugarit.
The first references to Canaan occur in the third millennium B.C. A Sumerian
document from the 18th century B.C. mentions "thieves and
Canaanites" causing trouble in the town of Rahisum. Mesopotamian tablets
referred to the reddish-purple dye of the murex shellfish as "Canaan,"
much as the modern "champagne" is both a drink and a region of France.
The Pharaoh Akhenaton refers to the Canaanites in a number of letters.
The Canaanites profited from nearby civilizations of ancient
Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Minoan Creek. Along the coast, merchant princes
developed city states while treating their wares with other civilizations. In
the interior, small kingdoms relied on agriculture.
In this area, periods of rapid climate change affected the
trade routes. As trade dwindled, cities and towns collapsed. Once the climate
stabilized, trade resumed first along the coast, and then inland. Traders
sought new routes to avoid heavy taxation.
Trade brought prosperity, and that brought the attention of
the Syrians, Babylonians, Persians, ancient Greeks, Romans, and more. Each
would try to dominate the Canaanites politically, imposing taxes and tributes.
Map of Canaan
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