Israel and the Palestinian Territories/History: Pre-Israelite Canaan

History-----Pre-Israelite Canaan

Much of pre-Israelite history of the region was unknown, but from what we know we can figure out that for a long time, Canaanites(kenaˈanim), who spoke a language similar to Hebrew or Phoenician, lived in the region. Hebrew Bible showed 7 nations living in the region, included the Canaanites proper, Amorites(emorim), Girgashites(girgashim), Hittites(ẖittim), Jebusites(yvusim), Hivites(ẖiuuim) and Perizzites(perizzim).

The Canaanites were polytheists, whose chief god was called Ba’al(which was also the god of storm), and the chief goddess was called Ashera. Like most ancient peoples, they practiced animal sacrifices, and it’s believed that they practiced child sacrifice by throwing infants into fire. It’s believed by some that Canaanites, like many other ancient Middle East, engaged in sacred prostitution. Canaan was fought among multiple empires, include the Hittite Empire and the Egyptian Empire, during the pre-Israelite period.

The Hyksos invasion of Egypt seemed to bring Habiru, a group of Semites, into the region. The exact relationship between Habiru and Hebrews(or Israelites) remained unclear. The sea people invasion caused mass disruption among the Canaanites and drew certain Canaanite groups against each other, opening the next era, the era of Israelites.