Page 34 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies

their territory was small, they were right in the heart of the ancient world. They were a land bridge
between Asia, Africa, and Europe. Egypt was to Israel’s south. Syria and Mesopotamia were to the north
and northeast. Southern Europe lay to the west. Every great kingdom to the north, south, east, and west
would know of Israel’s people and their God.

The little area called Canaan was in a position of extreme importance. It formed a narrow bridge that
connected the great powers of the Ancient Near East. To the south was Egypt, and to the north was
Syria and northeast Mesopotamia.

By 1000 BC, the known world reached as far as Europe. The major east-west trade routes were
established along the Fertile Crescent and the Euphrates River. When the armies of the east collided
with the armies of the west, it would happen somewhere along the Fertile Crescent. There would be no
battles where there was no water. There would be no land worth fighting for without fresh water,
either!

With the dangerous Mediterranean Ocean keeping most travelers, merchants, and armies off its waters
and the forbidding deserts of the east forcing travelers to use the Fertile Crescent, every world empire

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