Quoted By:
"When did the Israelites appear in Palestine? Are they indigenous or did they come from somewhere else?".
The answer is given by a series of archaeological and epigraphic findings.
During the Late Bronze Age, the area that we now call Palestine was a part of Canaan, in which lived a multifarious population that spoke a common northwest Semitic language and belonged to a common cultural context (e.g. pottery, religion).
Genetic studies have shown that the Canaanites came from a mixture of native Neolithic populations and successive migratory movements from the Zagros - Caucasus region. The effect of the 4.2 Ka BP climatic phenomenon that affected the Near East seems to have been significant.
The Israelites were part of this cultural and linguistic group. During the Late Bronze Age, Canaan was under Egyptian occupation, with the result that mainly Palestine suffered an intense Egyptianization of its local culture due to its territorial proximity.
At this particular period, Canaan was scattered with small vassal kingdoms, which often clashed with each other, constantly asking for the mediation of Egypt. At the same time, various outlaw armed groups (Hapiru - Shasu) were raiding urban centers and trade routes.
