Canaanites: New insight from 73 ancient genomes

Republication from phys.org/

A general view of the Tel Megiddo site. Credit: Megiddo Expedition

The people who lived in the area known as the Southern Levant—which is now recognized as Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Lebanon, and parts of Syria—during the Bronze Age (circa 3500-1150 BCE) are referred to in ancient biblical texts as the Canaanites. Now, researchers reporting in the journal Cell on May 28 have new insight into the Canaanites’ history based on a new genome-wide analysis of ancient DNA collected from 73 individuals.

Ancient states and tribes in the south-west Fertile Crescent, 9th-8th centuries BC, especially Israel and Judah kdms

An interesting map of ancient kingdoms, city-states and tribes in the area of south-west Fertile Crescent, 9th-8th centuriesBC. It is supposed to present specifically the kdms of Israel and Judah, but another interesting feature is