Canaan is an ancient city that is now called Israel. The land borders the southern part of the Meditteranean Sea. Over time Canaan has had many names such as – Palestine, Ezetz-Israel, Bilades-Shem, The Holy Land, and Djahy. Canaan is located between two deserts, the Syrian Desert and the Sinai Peninsula. The Israelites (the people going through Canaan) had to fight fierce wars. The first king, King Saul defended them in wars. Their second King, King David made the twelve Israelites tribes into one nation. The capital of Canaan is Jerusalem which was named by King David. The people didn’t believe in the same religion or government which never made them a single nation. They did however share the same language and culture. Cities were mostly built on hills. Over three or four hundred years ago the cities were abandon, then a chain of cities along the coast, with cities and states such as Tyre. Their leader Abraham led them from Mesopotamia.

                                 The Canaanites had a life to live just like we do. The people depended on storage for many reasons, one is because they didn’t have enough room in their houses. They used ceramic storage jars or clay bins (as you can see below) to store their food products or liquids. People had to extra food because of the dry weather preventing the harvests to be good. Canaanites baked bread in small ovens by encircling clay coils. The ladies did that along with weaving clothes and washing clothes.

                                                                                                              (the storage bin)                         (the bread oven)

            The Canaanites call their bible the Torah. The cult statue is in a temple that is also called the god’s house. The religion in the Near East depended on the place and politics. God’s or Goddesses associated with cities and some nations. Their religion was based on worships of the gods or goddesses and temples. There are many gods such as- Ba’al the storm god or his sister the goddess of hunting and warfare and her name was Anat. When people die it is taken very seriously because the dead should be treated properly.

                The Canaanites had a very good economy. They traded other countries for supplies they needed. One thing they traded was wine and oil. Wine and olive oil are made from plants. For one particular wine they use grapes. They harvest the grapes in August or September, then they dry them in the sun. Once there dried they press and them in a bucket with their bare feet. While their doing this their usually singing songs or dancing. Then it turns into wine and you can put it into jars or skins. They used olives to make oil by pressing down the olives in stone presses. Olive oil was used for cooking, burning in lamps, and perfume. Wine was a symbol for power. They also traded jewelry. The precious metals were gold and silver And base metals were copper, bronze, iron, and lead. The things that they made were rings, bracelets, anklets, necklaces, and other things. Canaan is old as you can see.

Documentation:

http://www.museum.upen.edu/Canaan/activities.html

www.neric.org/~rblackbu/student-resources.htm

http://ancientneareast.tripod.com/Canaan-and-Palestine.htm

The Ancient World Hidi Hays Jacobs, Michael L. LeVasseur, and Brenda Randolph 2003

The purple book that miss. Zych gave to me AND SARAH