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(c. 1250 - 1050 BCE) Ancient Jewish History: Table of Contents | The Temples | The Twelve Tribes. When the Hebrews arrive at Canaan, the land promised to them millenia earlier when God told Abraham at Shechem that the land would belong to his descendants, they they begin the long, painful, and disappointing process of setting the land.
During the transition from the Late Bronze to the Early Iron Age—probably about 1250 bce —the Israelites entered Canaan, settling at first in the hill country and in the south. The Israelites’ infiltration was opposed by the Canaanites, who continued to hold the stronger cities of the region.
Israel Enters Canaan. 1406 BC. Close Related. Article. Scriptures. Related. Add to Favorites. Just as the Red Sea parted at the beginning of Israel's freedom from Egypt, so the crossing of the Jordan marks their entry into the Promised Land. Like a baptism, it symbolizes a Christian's acceptance of Christ who also was baptized in the Jordan.
In the Land of Israel, it ended with the destruction of the First Temple in 587 B.C. Scholars generally agree that the penetration and settlement by the Israelites into the various regions of the country began, at the latest, in the 13th century B.C.
The first wave of migration, called Ghassulian culture, entered Canaan circa 4500 BC. This is the start of the Chalcolithic in Canaan. From their unknown homeland they brought an already complete craft tradition of metal work. They were expert coppersmiths; in fact, their work was the most advanced metal technology in the ancient world.
After 12 years of surveying and excavating in the land allotted in the Bible to the tribe of Manasseh, it is now possible to suggest new ideas on the emergence of Israel in Canaan, beginning at the end of the Late Bronze Age (13th century B.C.E.a) and continuing into Iron Age I (1200–1000 B.C.E.).
The people of Israel, assembled on the eastern banks of the Jordan, were ready to cross the river and conquer the land of Canaan. Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ successor, first sent spies and, encouraged by their report about the fear of the Canaanites, immediately decided to attack Jericho, the strongest town in the area.