Studying Ancient Canaanite Myths, Part 1: Why?

Dear Reader,

In our study of history, we have reached the time of the nation of Israel. There are lots of resources out there for homeschoolers on ancient Israel. But along with Israel, I would like to talk to my kids about its neighbors. And for this, I have found shockingly few resources. There are a few books, including one titled Ancient Israel and Its Neighbors (which I plan to use). What I have found seems to be on Philistia and Phoenicia (I am talking here about the area we would call Israel or Palestine today, not Mesopotamia; that is another post). But I have found nothing on Moab or Edom or Ugarit.

Why is there so little? Well, one answer is that we know very little about many of these nations. I have studied, in a previous life, things like Moabite and Ugaritic. I know there is not always a lot out there, even for scholars. But I also believe that it is important to study Israel in its cultural context. Plus it is fun and informative. 

So what I would like to do is to make you, my fellow homeschooler, aware of why these nations are important and/or interesting and to point you to what is out there on them.

There are two categories here: Israel’s contemporaries including Moab and Edom among others, and their predecessors in the land. The latter category includes the city of Ugarit from which a great deal of literature (relatively speaking) has survived.

So, next time look for: Ugaritic for Homeschoolers, the Adventure Begins!

Nebby