2. Structure of Society in Canaan
- Mesopotamia, the area where Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaacov, come
from had many city-states
- Each city-state had a major god it worshipped and some minor
gods it honored as well
- Each city-state had a ruler named anensi
- There were priests, noblemen, commoners and slaves in the
city-states
3. The Avot were from tribes
- Tribes were a big part of Mesopotamian life
- Tribes were nomadic or semi-nomadic
- The Avot were semi-nomadic; they were shepherds.
4. Tribes
- Tribes were organized like a family
- Members of the tribe were close and looked out for each
other
- They had a leader a male leader who ran the tribe
- They had rules about how to get along well with other people in
the tribe
5. What Were Canaanites Like?
- They wear colorful clothing
- They use donkeys and sheep to transport their property
- Note how many musical instruments are shown here!
6. What Was Egypt Like?
- It was ruled by a king, a pharaoh,
- The pharaoh was considered a god, a sun god
7. 8. There Were Many Levels ofEgyptian Society 9. Scribes Were
an Important Part of Life in Egypt . . . 10. . . . So Were
Priests
- Priests had to appease the gods
- The priests had to figure out what the gods wanted
- Priests did jobs like record the flood levels of the Nile
11. Sumerian votive statues People in the ancient Near East wore
fringed robes Egyptian priests wore robes of linen 12. Workers in
Egypt 13. So How Would a Canaanitedo in Egypt?
- 32And they set on for him by himself, and for them by
themselves, and for the Egyptians, that did eat with him, by
themselves; because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the
Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
Bereishit 43:32 14.
- Egyptians didnt like foreigners
Foreigners from Ramesses III Temple at Medinet Habu 15. One More
Thing Egyptians Were Neurotic About . . .
- They are very careful to wear newly-washed linen all the time.
They circumcise their children for the sake of cleanliness, they
would rather be clean than better looking.
Barber shaving the head of a soldier Tomb of Userhat, 18th
dynasty Source: V. Easy 16. Do you think it would have been easy or
hard for a Canaanite to adjust to Egypt?