Canaanites, << KAY nuh nyts >>, were a people mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament. Much of their land, called Canaan, later was called Palestine by both Christians and Muslims. The Canaanites may have settled in the region about 2000 B.C. They were its chief inhabitants until about 1200 B.C. The Bible says that the Israelites conquered Canaan at that time. However, archaeology and some Biblical passages indicate that the Israelites only gradually became the area’s dominant people. Archaeology also indicates that many Canaanite cities were destroyed by the Sea Peoples in the 1100’s B.C. The Sea Peoples may have migrated to Canaan from the area around the Aegean Sea.
The Canaanites were a Semitic people related to the Arabs, Assyrians, and Israelites. The Canaanites had an advanced civilization. Their main political unit was the city-state, which consisted of a city or town and the surrounding villages and land. The chief Canaanite gods were El (a creator god) and Baal (a storm god). The main goddesses were Anat, Asherah, and Astarte.
Some Canaanites settled northwest of Palestine. They became known as Phoenicians.
