In the early portion of Canaan's Late Bronze Age, that lasted from approximately 1550BC to about 1200BC, Canaanite confederacies centered on Meggido in Northern Israel, southwest of Haifa on the slopes of Mount Carmel (Israel's third largest city). The Baha'i Faith's World Centre is located there. From the 14th Century BC, Abu Hawam was the earliest known settlement in the Meggido region.

The other Canaanite confederacy centered on Kadesh, near the headwaters of the Orontes River.
According to some sources, Kadesh was located near Gaza. Ancient Antioch was an important city during that time.

Eventually. Canaan was brought into both the Egyptian, and the Hittite, empires. Later, Canaan was absorbed into the Neo-Assyrian Empire during the apex of Assyria being a state. The Assyrians dominated the Ancient Near East, and regarded as the first World empire, they held the largest empire formed in ancient world history. Their dominance was over Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Lavant, parts of Anatolia, Arabia, Modern Day Iran, and Armenia.

According to the Bible, Western Asians appeared to have settled Canaan. The most powerful of them being the Amorites. Uncivilized, and nomadic, they were considered native to Syria and Transjordan on the East Bank.

The Amorites are mentioned in Genesis 10:16-18, Genesis 14:7, Joshua 10:5, Deutoronomy 1:19, Deutoronomy 27, Deutoronomy 44, Numbers 21:13. Other references regard the Amorites as being Canaanites though "Amorite" is not used to describe the population that occupied the coast.

For centuries prior to the Biblical Hebrews, parts of Canaan, and southwestern Syria, became tributary to Egypt. Several local rebellions occurred. During this same time, the Assyrians ruled northern Canaan and Northern Syria.

The Egyptian Pharoah Thutmose III, who ruled according to most sources from April 28,1479BC to March 11, 1425BC, and his son Amenhotep II, who created the largest Egyptian empire from 1427BC to 1401BC, kept the Canaanites loyal to Egypt.

The Habiru rebels, outlaws, raiders, and mercenaries arose to challenge Egyptian rule. They were Aramean people of the Near East, of the Late 12th Century BC, from the central region of Modern Day Syria.

The Biblical word "Hebrew" began as a social category during Canaan's Late Bronze Age and evolved into an ethnic group. Many discoveries of the time appear to link the Habiru to the Hebrews.

The Habiru may also be connected to the Midianites (on the northwest Arabian peninsula and the Red Sea. Genesis says the Midianites were the descendants of Abraham's son Midian).The Kenites (descendants of Cain, who were known as coppersmiths and metalworkers), and the Amalekites (descended from Eliphaz, the son of Esau, who lived in the Negev desert, and semi-desert, regions of southern Israel) may also be connected to the Habiru. Deutoronomy 25:17-19 states Israel was to "blot out the remembrance of Amalek (the Amalekites) from under heaven."

The Habiru may have been attracted to Canaan because of a new power based in Asia Minor, and their horse-drawn chariots, known as the Mitanni, a major rival of Egypt. The Mitanni are thought to have formed after Babylon fell and descended from remnants thereof. They also contained Hurrians, Semites, Kassites, and Luwians.

Egyptian power in Canaan suffered major defeats when the Hittites advanced to Syria and displaced the Amorites. Egypt's control of Canaan totally collapsed when the Sea People (the Philistines) settled into the southwestern Israel coastal plain on the Mediterranean Sea.

Sources:

Bible
worldhistory.org
biblegateway.com
penn.museum
nationalgeographic.com




Next Time: Sea Of Galilee #22: Amarna Letters