The region known today as Syria-Palestine, which stretches eastward from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates River and the Syrian Desert, comes to be divided around 1200 into three main parts.

The Philistines, one of the marauding groups of Sea Peoples that abruptly bring down the empire of the Hittites and seriously challenge that of the Egyptians, colonize the coastal plain of southern Cannan, giving the name Philistia to the southern coast.

The Hebrew tribes, traditionally twelve in number, emerge in the low-hill country of central Palestine; they may be poor relations of the Canaanites long established in the cities.

The remainder of Canaan, the long narrow strip of coast to the north, will come to be known to the Greeks as Phoenicia, where the Phoenicians develop a maritime trading empire, establishing colonies throughout the Mediterranean.

Between these coastal areas to the west and Mesopotamia to the east lie the city-states of the Aramaeans.

Phoenicia and Aram will eventually come to be called Syria; Philistia and the hill-country of the Hebrews will come to be called Palestine.