1. Describe how the function of ancient Canaan as a "Landbridge" helped shape the historical fortunes of people living in that area.
Ancient Canaan functioned as a land bridge and helped shape the historical fortunes of people living in that area. Canaan refers to land occupied by Ancient Israel (“Unit Two”). This land is mentioned throughout the Old Testament of the Bible. Before Israelite occupation, the inhabitants were named Canaanites (“Unit Two”). Ancient Israel was the land bridge between Mesopotamia and Egypt (“Trade Routes”). This path was the only way to travel to each country because the other path through the Arabian Desert was unfeasible (“Trade Routes”). Because Canaan was the only path between two major empires, the country had two major highways for transportation. The Via Maria transportation highway ran through the Coastal Topography Zone (“Geographical”). The Coastal Zone was located on the Mediterranean Coast (“Geographical”). The easily accessible water made this route beneficial for traveling and farming (“Geographical”). The second transportation route was called King’s Highway (“Trade
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However, once the Early Bronze Age began, Egypt began to influence Canaan and its residents (“Historical Context”). Egypt was easily able to influence the region due to the proximity and accessibility of Canaan. During the Early Middle Bronze Age, the loss of Egyptian influence descended Canaan into chaos. This change in power caused many Canaanites to abandon many sites (“Historical Context”). Then, towards the middle of the Middle Bronze Age, Egypt regained its Canaan influence (“Historical Context”). This regained influence caused a growth in trade, increase of order and stability, and some military campaigns (“Historical Context”). Therefore, the influence of Egypt due to the land bridge directly increased the fortunes of people living in the Canaan