Cananeos: who were they 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 kings, that inhabited the Middle East back in the second millennium BC. C.

Related to many other peoples, such as the Egyptians, the Babylonians and the Israelites, the Canaanite people are attributed have written with an alphabet that, over time, would evolve into the one we are using right now to read these lines.

Who were the Canaanites? We'll find out below.

• Related article: "Phoenicians: history of this ancient Mediterranean civilization"

What were the Canaanite people?

The Canaanite people is the name by which the inhabitants of Canaan are known, an area that, according to ancient texts, has an extension that includes 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 that inhabited the lands of Canaan.

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

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 can perfectly 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 a. C.) and did not share many common cultural traits, with a diversity of funeral 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 that is located in what is now Syria. This text is 3,800 years old and is addressed to one 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 has come to us of 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 a inscription on a statue in homage to Idrimi, a king who ruled in a city called Alalakh, in the 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 people of Amiya are not referred to as "Canaanites," they do refer to a variety of lands that are believed to have lived on as Halab, Nihi, Amae and Mukish.

It must be said that, despite being ethnically diverse, this does not mean that the different people who lived in Canaan lands 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 that had an origin 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."

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

These letters have great importance in understanding how Canaan was politically divided, 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 a certain Akiya pass his messenger back 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, as this nation had great power over the Canaanite sovereigns. Among the letters is one written by the Babylonian king Burra-Buriyas, who remains from 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 deaths.

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

Hebrew Bible

One cannot speak of the Canaanite people without mentioning the Hebrew Bible, a text in which they are referenced more than 150 timesBut not exactly flattering. The Canaanites are said to be impious, idolatrous people, descended from Canaan, Noah's grandson, 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 lot of ethnic groups such as Hittites, Gergesees, 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 described in the bible also as a great and strong people, who would not be easily defeated and for which the Israelites would need divine help to win them over and take away their land. 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 huge (Numbers 13:23), with plenty of 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, descendants of Anak, there (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 of the mighty: Joshua and Caleb, who were sure that God would help them defeat these people. Because of not trusting God enough, that generation of Israelites were 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 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 overthrew it (Joshua 6), giving the people of Israel the sign that Canaan became Israelite property. Some Canaanites survived who 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 controversial 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, a 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. C. and they base this on excavations and ancient texts showing 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, the appropriate thing would be to refer to the various peoples that inhabited the Middle East about 3,000 years ago. This makes their rituals, religions and languages ​​very diverse, although it is possible to refer to some cultural aspects of interest.

Language and writing system

The Canaanites used different writing systems. There were those who used the cuneiform system of writing, as has been found in Ugarit, while others opted for what has been called the Canaanite alphabet proper (linear abjad) and found in places like Serabit el-Jadim. It is considered that the latter, closely related to the Phoenician, with the passage of time would evolve to the Greek alphabet and, later, to 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 that we have of that legaon, mostly found in Ugaritic texts, some element is seen enriching, lost in modern Hebrew, as are the cases of the name and that coincide with other great Semitic languages ​​such as Arabic and the 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, not having a 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.

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

Religion

Among the gods that the Canaanites worshiped back in the XXII century BC. C. there is the god El, spread by the Hyksos, who would later spread between 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, He was the nickname with which he was called par excellence to Dagan, god of cereals, considered to be the father of Baal, a god who used to be represented in the form of everything young. In ancient Ugarit, the temples of Dagan and Baal are located together.

Curiously, It seems that Baal also became the term to refer to Hadad, the god of rains., lord of everything that referred to agriculture and the one who made the crops were prosperous with his rainfall. In the Ugarit tablets he also figures as the husband or son, it is not very clear, of the goddess Ashera, the mother of all the gods and celestial wife.

Bibliographic references:

• Kenyon, K. M. The Archeology 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.