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| [Illustration: CANAANITE HOES] |
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| [Illustration: CANAANITE SICKLE] |
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| [Illustration: CANAANITE OR HEBREW PLOWSHARES] |
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| Cuts on this page used by permission of the Palestine Exploration |
| Fund. |
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CHAPTER VIII

VILLAGE LIFE IN CANAAN


The farmers of ancient Canaan all lived in villages. No farmer would
have dreamed of building an isolated house for his family on his own
field out of sight of his nearest neighbor as our American farmers do.
The danger from robbers would have been too great. Instead of that,
the Hebrew farmer lived in the nearest village or town. Early in the
morning he went out to his field, and in the evening returned to his
home inside the protecting village walls.

These ancient villages would have seemed to us most unattractive
places. The houses were crowded close together. The streets were only
narrow crooked lanes between the houses. In the rear room of each