C6L1 - Canaan

C6L1 - Canaan

Mr. Curia's World History

According to the Hebrew Bible, after the Exodus, the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years. This was not because it took that long to get to Canaan, but because God was punishing them for their unbelief. Moses was also barred from entry into Canaan, so he died right as they arrived, and Joshua took over as leader.

Surviving with that many people in the desert for 40 years was difficult.

Arriving in Canaan​

​The land was already occupied when the Israelites arrived. So who was there? The term 'Canaanite' refers to a variety of different tribes with similar cultures living in the land. Some of the tribes were: Midianites, Ammonites, Amalekites, Moabites, Edomites, and Ishmaelites.

There's a lot of -ites.

​Who were the Canaanites?

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One of the groups of people living in Canaan was the Phoenician people. They were especially good at sailing and this meant that they were also heavily involved in trade. This is an example of one of their ships.

The Phoenicians

The Phoenicians originated in the region of Canaan, but their mastery of sailing enabled them to settle in areas all around the Mediterranean Sea, especially in North Africa and Southern Spain. The red on the map represents Phoenician settlements.

Phoenician Settlements

Multiple Choice

Where was one of the main areas that the Phoenicians established settlements?

• Anatolia

• Egypt

• North America

• North Africa

Phoenicians traded a wide variety of products including glass, jewelry, and cedar logs. Their most famous product was a dye called Tyrian Purple. It was made from shellfish from the Phoenician coast and was very difficult to make. The high price of this dye is why purple was the color of royalty for thousands of years.

There were even laws making it illegal for people to wear purple.

Phoenician Products

Phoenicians invented the alphabet that eventually became the alphabet that we use. One of the main breakthroughs was using symbols to represent sounds. This meant people had to memorize less symbols to learn to read. The trade-off is that writing takes more space on a page.

​Some text here about the topic of discussion.

Phoenician Alphabet

Fill in the Blanks

Multiple Choice

What was the most famous product that the Phoenicians traded?

• Cedar logs

• Jewelry

• Purple dye

• Nike shoes

The Philistines are one of the main opponents to the Israelites in the Hebrew Bible. There are many stories of fights between them, including the famous battle of David vs. Goliath.

The Philistines

The kingdoms of the Philistines were known as Philistia, and were centered around 5 walled city-states.

The Philistines are believed to have been from the area around Greece or Crete and migrated to the coast of southern Canaan.

The Philistines arrived with the knowledge of how to work iron and this made them one of the most advanced militaries in the area.​

The name 'Palestine' derives from Philistia, but is not culturally connected.​

Philistia

Fill in the Blanks

Multiple Choice

How many major, walled city-states did the Philistines have in their kingdom?

• 10

• 2

• 700

• 5

When the Israelites showed up to move into the land that God had promised them, there was one major issue, people already lived there.​

The Conquest of Canaan

Because there were people living in the land already as we just learned, the Israelites had to invade and displace these people. According to the Hebrew Bible, God ordered them to dive the Canaanites out completely.

They did not succeed ​in this, and never had exclusive control over the borders that God had told Moses about.

It takes a very large amount of people to take and hold land completely.

Military Conquest

One of the first cities that Joshua led the Israelites up against was Jericho. Jericho had exceptionally thick walls that the Israelites could not break.

According to the Hebrew Bib​le, God told Joshua to have the Israelites march around the city for 6 days, blowing trumpets, and on the 7th day, march around it 7 times in silence, then blow the trumpet and the wall would collapse, and that's exactly what they did.

Jericho is currently being studied as an archeological site

Jericho

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After the leadership of Joshua, the Israelites were ruled by a series of people known as judges. They weren't kings or queens, but would settle disputes, and according to the Hebrew Bible, many of them were prophets, or at least received communication from God or angels.

The Israelites controlled part of Canaan at this point, but not all of it, and lived alongside the Canaanite tribes. Sometimes they would fight and the Israelites would take more territory. Sometimes the Israelites would worship Canaanite Gods, and their God would allow them to be conquered as punishment.​

Some famous judges include Gideon, Samuel, and Deborah.

The Time of the Judges

Multiple Choice

How did the Israelites deal with the Canaanites according to the Hebrew Bible?

• They asked politely for some of the extra space

• Bought land and set up trading contacts

• Invaded and drove out the native inhabitants

• Culturally assimilated and spread out through the Canaanite tribes

Multiple Choice

Did the Israelites completely occupy the land that was promised to Abraham according to the Hebrew Bible?

• Yes, and more

• Not immediately, but eventually

• Yes

• No, they did not

Fill in the Blanks

After many battles, the Israelite tribes won control of the hilly region of central Canaan and settled there. Most Israelites farmed and herded animals. The land was rocky and dry, with little water. So during the rainy season, farmers collected the rainwater. They stored it in small caves or under the ground. They used the stored water to irrigate crops such as olives, flax, barley, and grapes.

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The image here is of a water storage cistern.

​Life in Canaan

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Most Israelites lived in houses with two levels. The walls of the houses were made of mud-brick or stone plastered with mud and white-washed. Floors were made of clay. Wooden beams supported a flat, thatched roof, covered with clay. During the day, people cooked and did household chores in the home's lower level. At night, donkeys and goats bedded down there. The family slept on the upper level.

Here is an illustration of how an Israelite home might have looked.

Israelite homes

Poll

Would you want to live in an Israelite-style home where the animals come inside and stay on the ground floor?

• 1 - Definitely not

• 2 - Probably not

• 3 - Probably yes

• 4 - Definitely yes

Multiple Select

Which of these crops did the Israelites grow in Canaan?

• Olives

• Grapes

• Potatoes

• Barley

• Oranges

​According to the Hebrew Bible, the Israelites worshiped God using a large tent-like structure called the Tabernacle. During their journey to Canaan, God gave the plans to build to Moses so that they could have a temple to take with them.

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The Tabernacle

According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tabernacle housed the presence of God in the Holy of Holies, centered on the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was said to contain the tablets that God wrote the Ten Commandments on, as well as several other relics of miracles.

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The Israelites believed that bringing the Ark with them into battle would bring victory, and according to the Bible, that was true.​

The Ark is currently either missing or was destroyed by the Babylonians or Romans.

Ark of the Covenant

Once the Israelites entered Canaan they set the Tabernacle up at a place called Shiloh. That became the religious center, and the place to make sacrifices to God for the 12 Tribes.

Shiloh - Religious Center

Fill in the Blanks

Multiple Choice

What was the name of the object that was supposed to symbolize and house God's presence?

• The Tabernacle

• The Ark of the Covenant

• The Tablets of the Ten Commandments

• The Menorah

Multiple Choice

What was the name of the Canaanite tribe known for their expert sailors and traders?

• Phoenicians

• Hyksos

• Moabites

• Philistines

Multiple Choice

Which of these Canaanite tribes came from the area around Greece or Crete?

• Phoenicians

• Hyksos

• Amalekites

• Philistines