Canaanites: who were they and what were their cultural characteristics?

A summary of what we currently know about the ancient Canaanites.

The Canaanite people are referred to in the Bible more than 150 times and, in spite of this, rather little is known about them. More than a people, it could be said that they were a group of people, with their own rulers, who inhabited the Middle East around the second millennium BC.

Related to many other peoples, such as the Egyptians, the Babylonians and the Israelites, the Canaanites are credited with having written with an alphabet that, with the passage of time, would evolve into the one we are using right now to read these lines.

Who were the Canaanites? We will find out below.

What were the Canaanite people?

The Canaanite people is the name given to the inhabitants of Canaan, an area that, according to ancient texts, covers parts of modern Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Since many peoples have coexisted in this region throughout history, the term "Canaanites" is often used to refer to the group of peoples who inhabited the lands of Canaan.

The information we have about the Canaanites comes from remains left by the people with whom they had contact, in addition to the occasional archaeological site in one of the countries that comprise this region. Among the documents that have best withstood the passage of time are those found in the ancient Egyptian city of Amarna, in addition to what the Hebrew Bible tells us about who the Canaanites were.

The current consensus among historians and archaeologists is to accept that the Canaanites never lived in a single united kingdom. In fact, based on archaeological sites, what we now call the Canaanite people may well refer to the Amorites, Jebusites, Hyksos, Hurrians, Hittites, Philistines, Phoenicians, Arameans and even Hebrews who lived in Canaan during the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200 B.C.) and did not share many common cultural traits, with diverse burial traditions and cults.

Ancient records

The earliest written record of the Canaanite people comes from fragments of a charter found at the archaeological site of Marian ancient city located in what is now Syria. This text is 3,800 years old and is addressed to one Yasmah-Adad, king of Mari. It mentions the Canaanites along with some robbers and mentions that they live in a town called Rahisum. The little that has come down to us from that letter refers to a conflict that is developing in that town.

The Canaanite people are also mentioned in another text, some 3,500 years old, this time an inscription on a statue honoring Idrimi, a king who ruled in a city called Alalakh, in modern Turkey. This inscription tells that Idrimi, at some point in his life, was forced to leave a city in Canaan called Amiya, which is located in modern Lebanon. While the inhabitants of Amiya are not referred to as "Canaanites", reference is made to a variety of lands where it is believed they may have lived such as Halab, Nihi, Amae and Mukish.

It should be said that, although ethnically diverse, this does not mean that the different people living in the land of Canaan were not grouped together at any time. In fact, administrative texts have been found in Alalakh and Ugarit (Syria) that indicate that the designation "the Land of Canaan" was used to specify the identity of people or groups of people who had origins in that region. For example, a man who came from some Canaanite city but now lived in Alalakh or Ugarit could be perfectly designated as "man of Canaan" or "son of Canaan".

One of the most important findings about who the Canaanites were is found in texts found at a site in Amarna, Egypt, which have been called "Amarna letters".. That city was founded by the pharaoh Akhenaten (1353-1335 B.C.) with the intention of making it the capital of his vast empire and also to initiate a profound change in Egypt by replacing the traditional polytheistic religion with a monotheistic cult to the god Aten, the solar disk. Among the texts found is the diplomatic correspondence between Akhenaten and various rulers in the Middle East.

These letters are of great importance in understanding how Canaan was divided politically, since it is evident that there were several kings in the region. In fact, a diplomatic passport written by Tusratta, a king of Mittani (Syria) asks "the kings of the land of Canaan" to let his messenger a certain Akiya return safely to Egypt, and warns the kings of Canaan that "no one should stop him".

These documents also demonstrate a political reality favorable to Egypt, since this nation had great power over the Canaanite sovereigns. Among the letters is one written by the Babylonian king Burra-Buriyas, who remains of the murder of Babylonian merchants in Canaan and reminds the Egyptian pharaoh that "the lands of Canaan are your lands and their kings are your servants", veiled accusing him of being responsible for those deaths.

• You may be interested in, "Who were the Assyrians?"

Hebrew Bible

It is impossible to talk about the Canaanite people without mentioning the Hebrew Bible, a text in which they are referenced more than 150 timesbut not exactly in a flattering way. The Canaanites are said to be ungodly, idolatrous people, descended from Canaan, grandson of Noah, who was the son of Ham (Genesis 9:18). Canaan was cursed for his sin and his father's sin against Noah (Genesis 9:20-25).

In some passages of the Bible, the term "Canaanites" is used to refer specifically to the inhabitants of the lowlands and plains of Canaan (Joshua 11:3); while in others the same term is used but with a broader meaning, referring to all the inhabitants of that land, including a host of ethnic groups such as Hittites, Girgashites, Jebusites, Amorites, Hittites and Perizzites (Judges 1:9-10).

In the Bible, Canaan appears as the land that God promised to give to the descendants of Abraham (Genesis 12:7), i.e., the Israelites.. The Canaanites are also described in the Bible as a large and strong people, who would not be easily defeated and for whom the Israelites would need divine help to defeat them and take their land. That help was promised by God to Moses and Joshua (Joshua 1:3).

After the exodus, when God told Moses to depart and take Canaan, Moses sent a group of spies into the land to find out what the inhabitants were like. The spies came back saying that the fruit of the land was enormous (Numbers 13:23), with abundant milk and honey. They also came back saying that the Canaanites were very strong and lived in well-protected cities. Moreover, the Israelite spies had seen giants there, descendants of Anak (Numbers 13:28, 33).

The Israelites were so afraid of the Canaanite people that they refused to enter the land that God had promised them, being the only two brave ones: Joshua and Caleb, who were sure that God had promised them.who were sure that God would help them defeat the Canaanites. Because they did not trust God enough, that generation of Israelites was denied entry into Canaan (Numbers 14:30-35).

After Moses died, God called Joshua to lead the people of Israel across the Jordan River to the Promised Land. The first city they visited was Jericho, a Canaanite stronghold. Joshua told his people that God was going to drive the Canaanites out of that place so that Israel could take the land of Canaan (Joshua 3:10).

Jericho fell before the powers of God who overthrew it (Joshua 6), giving the people of Israel the sign that Canaan became Israelite property. A few Canaanites survived to inhabit Israel after the land was divided among the twelve tribes (Judges 1:27-36). Those who remained there were forced to do hard labor.

Naturally, the historical accuracy of the stories told in the Hebrew Bible are a matter of controversy among scholars. Some scholars believe that there was no exodus as such from Egypt and that the Israelites were already living in Canaan along with other Canaanite groups during the second millennium BC. Also, scholars who study ancient languages sometimes describe Hebrew, the language used by the Israelites, as a "Canaanite" language, noting its similarity to Canaanite alphabet.noting its similarity to Phoenician, a language of the time.

On the other hand, some scholars consider that some Israelites may indeed have left Egypt sometime during the second millennium B.C. and base this on excavations and ancient texts that show that various groups of foreigners lived in Egypt at different times in the history of that civilization.

Cultural characteristics of the Canaanites

As we have seen, it is not possible to speak of a uniform and monolithic Canaanite people and, in fact, it would be appropriate to refer to the various peoples who inhabited the Middle East. about 3,000 years ago. This means that their rituals, religions and languages were very diverse, although it is possible to reference some cultural aspects of interest.

Language and writing system

The Canaanites used different writing systems. There were those who used the cuneiform writing system, as has been found in Ugarit, while others opted for what has been called the Canaanite alphabet (linear abjad) and which has been found in places such as Serabit el-Jadim. It is considered that the latter, closely related to Phoenician, would evolve over time to the Greek alphabet and, later, to the Latin alphabet.

As for the language, it is considered that the ancient Canaanite language must have been a dialect of Aramaic, very similar to Hebrew.. From the few written records we have of that lagoon, mostly found in Ugaritic texts, we can see some enriching elements, lost in modern Hebrew, such as the cases of the name and that coincide with other great Semitic languages such as Arabic and Akkadian.

Art and architecture

Canaanite art has been found thanks to the archaeological excavations carried out in the area. In general it could be said that it is poor, not having a monumental architecture nor much interest in embellishing the buildings with ornaments. Even the temples and palaces were rather bland in style, with no capitals on their columns or carvings on the doors..

Sculpture was relegated to reliefs and the occasional carved figurine representing a god. The largest piece of Canaanite sculpture found is an idol from the temple of Hasor in the Recent Bronze Age (1500 B.C.). Its artistic style has been related to Mesopotamian art in its origin, but some Egyptian influence.

Religion

Among the gods worshiped by the Canaanites in the 22nd century BC are the god El, spread by the Hyksos, which would later spread to the Assyrians and Babylonians.. This was the main deity, considered the king and creator of all things, besides being the judge who dictated what men and the rest of the gods of the Canaanite pantheon should do.

Some scholars consider that, given his characteristics, El was the appellative with which Dagan, god of cereals, was called by antonomasia, considered as the father of Baal, a god who used to be represented in the form of a young man. In ancient Ugarit, the temples of Dagan and Baal are found together.

Curiously, it seems that Baal also became the term for Hadad, the god of the rains.He was the lord of everything related to agriculture and the one who made the harvests prosperous with his rainfall. In the tablets of Ugarit he also appears as the husband or son, it is not very clear, of the goddess Asherah, the mother of all the gods and celestial wife.

Bibliographical references:

• Kenyon, K. M. The Archaeology of the Holy Land. London and New York, 1960.
• Niels, P.L. Canaanites and their land: the tradition of the Canaanites. Sheffield, JSOT Press, 1991.