Canaanites: Who They Were And What Were Their Cultural Characteristics
The Canaanite people are referenced in the Bible more than 150 times and, despite this, rather little is known about them. More than a people, it could be said that it was a group of them, with their own little kings, who inhabited the Middle East back in the second millennium BC.
Related to many other peoples, such as the Egyptians, the Babylonians and the Israelites, the Canaanite people are credited with having written with an alphabet that, over time, would evolve into the one we are using right now to read these lines.
The Canaanite people are the name by which the inhabitants of Canaan are known, an area that, according to ancient texts, has an area that includes parts of modern Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Since many peoples have lived together 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 is 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 stood the test of time are those found in the ancient Egyptian city of Amarna, in addition to what the Hebrew Bible tells us about who the Canaanite people 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 call today as the Canaanite people can perfectly refer to the Amorites, Jebusites, Hyksos, Hurrians, Hittites, Philistines, Phoenicians, Arameans and even Hebrews who lived in Canaan during the Age of the Late Bronze (1550-1200 BC) and did not share many common cultural traits, with a diversity of funerary traditions and cults.
Old records
The oldest written record of the Canaanite people comes from fragments of a letter found at the archaeological site of Mari, an ancient city located in what is now Syria. This text is 3,800 years old and is addressed to a certain Yasmah-Adad, king of Mari. In it the Canaanites are mentioned along with some thieves and it is mentioned that they live in a town called Rahisum. The little that we have received from that letter refers to a conflict that is developing in that town.
The Canaanite people are also mentioned in another text, about 3,500 years old, this time an inscription on a statue in homage to 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 abandon a city in Canaan called Amiya, which is located in modern Lebanon. Although the inhabitants of Amiya are not called “Canaanites”, there is reference to a variety of lands in which they are believed to have lived such as Halab, Nihi, Amae and Mukish.
It should be said that, despite being ethnically diverse, this does not mean that the different people who lived in the lands 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 of “the Land of Canaan” was used to specify the identity of the people or groups of them who had an origin in that region. . For example, a man who came from some Canaanite city but now lived in Alalakh or Ugarit could perfectly well be designated as a “man of Canaan” or “son of Canaan.”
One of the most important discoveries about who the Canaanites were is in texts found in a site in Amarna, Egypt, which have been called “Amarna letters.” That city was founded by Pharaoh Akhenaten (1353-1335 BC) with the intention of turning it into the capital of his vast empire and, also, initiating a profound change in Egypt by replacing the traditional polytheistic religion with a monotheistic cult of the god Aten, the solar disk. Among the texts found is the diplomatic correspondence between Akhenaten and several rulers in the Middle East.
These letters are of great importance in understanding how Canaan was politically divided, since they show 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 allow his messenger one Akiya to return safely to Egypt, and warns the kings of Canaan that “no one should stop him.”
These documents also demonstrate a favorable political reality for 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 responsible for the murder of Babylonian merchants in Canaan and reminds the Egyptian pharaoh that “the lands of Canaan are your lands and its kings are your servants,” veiledly accusing him of be responsible for those deaths.
Hebrew Bible
One cannot talk about the Canaanite people without mentioning the Hebrew Bible, a text in which they are referenced more than 150 times, but not exactly in a flattering way. The Canaanites are said to be ungodly, idolatrous people, descending 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 in 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 lot 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), that is, 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 lands from them. That help was promised by God to Moses and Joshua (Joshua 1:3).
After the exodus, when God told Moses to leave and take Canaan, Moses sent a group of spies to that land to find out what those who inhabited it were like. The spies returned saying that the fruit of the land was enormous (Numbers 13:23), with abundant milk and honey. They also returned saying that the Canaanites were very strong and that they lived in well-protected cities. Furthermore, 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, with only two brave men: Joshua and Caleb, who were sure that God would help them defeat those people. Due to not trusting 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 and reach the promised land. The first city they visited was Jericho, a Canaanite fortress. 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 brought it down (Joshua 6), giving the people of Israel the sign that Canaan became Israelite property. Some Canaanites survived and inhabited Israel after the land was divided among the twelve tribes (Judges 1:27-36). Those who remained there were forced to do forced labor.
Naturally, the historical accuracy of the stories told in the Hebrew Bible are the subject 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 Israelis, as a “Canaanite” language noting its similarity to Phoenician, a language of the time.
On the other hand, some scholars consider that some Israelites could have left Egypt at some point during the second millennium BC and base this on excavations and ancient texts that show that various groups of foreigners lived in Egypt at different times in its history. 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.
The Canaanites used different writing systems. There were those who used the cuneiform writing system, as found in Ugarit, while others opted for what has been called the Canaanite alphabet proper (linear abjad) and which has been found in places such as Serabit el-Jadim. It is considered that the latter, closely related to the Phoenician, would evolve over time into the Greek alphabet and, later, into the Latin alphabet.
Regarding the language, it is considered that the ancient Canaanite language must have been a dialect of Aramaic, very similar to Hebrew Of the few written records we have of that leguna, mostly found in Ugaritic texts, we see some enriching element, lost in modern Hebrew, such as the cases of the name and which coincide with other great Semitic languages such as Arabic and Akkadian.
Art and architecture
Canaanite art has been found thanks to archaeological excavations carried out at the site. In general it could be said that it is poor, with no monumental architecture nor much interest in embellishing the buildings with ornaments. Even the temples and palaces had a rather bland style, without capitals on their columns or carvings on the doors
Sculpture was relegated to reliefs and the occasional figurine carved as a representation of some god. The largest piece of Canaanite sculpture found is an idol from the temple of Hasor in the Late Bronze Age (1500 BC). His artistic style has been related to Mesopotamian art in origin, but with some Egyptian influence.
Religion
Among the gods that the Canaanites worshiped back in the 22nd century BC are the god El, spread by the Hyksos, who would later spread among Assyrians and Babylonians This was the main deity, considered the king and creator of all things, in addition to being the judge who dictated what both men and the rest of the gods of the Canaanite pantheon should do.
Some schoolchildren consider that, given his characteristics, El was the nickname by which Dagan, god of cereals, was considered par excellence, considered the father of Baal, a god who used to be represented in the form of every young man. In ancient Ugarit, the temples of Dagan and Baal are located together.
Curiously, It seems that Baal also became the term for Hadad, the god of rain, lord of everything that related to agriculture and the one who made the crops prosperous with his rainfall. In the Ugarit tables 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.
