Why was Canaan an attractive area for the Hebrew people to settle?
It had access to ports for sea travel.
It was rich with natural resources like fuel oil.
It had good rainfall and fertile land for farming.
It was the closest area not already settled by other people.
Answers
Answer:
It had good rainfall and fertile land for farming and It was the closest area not already settled by other people.
Explanation:
The Canaanite hinterland was only sparsely populated during the Late Bronze Age, making it an ideal place for new settlements. They would face no opposition from inhabitants and would be free to develop their own society. It is likely they either had the blessing of the coastal Canaanites in settling the interior highlands or were too poor for the Canaanites to seek taxes.
Nearly all modern historians say that the Hebrews were actually rural Canaanites who left the region of the rich coastal cities, so the cisJordan highlands were conveniently located for a short inland migration. The invention of the iron plough at the beginning of the Iron Age no doubt helped the Israelites till the stony highland soil.
This history is far removed from the biblical account of a massive wave of Israelites sweeping in from the south to destroy city after city and slaughter the Canaanite population, but it is supported by archaeology.