The 'Canaanite' culture flourished in the Southern Levant all through the second millennium BCE.  Politically the region was divided between small urban centers that had control over an agrarian periphery. During the course we will be familiarized with the nature of the Canaanite culture and learn about its history. By interpreting the vast archaeological knowledge and the few available written evidence we shell discuss how the Canaanite society was organized? What were the sources of political power? How did the Canaanites view themselves did they share a unified cultural identity?