Pharaoh in Canaan: The Untold Story is the first exhibition to present the relations between Canaan and Egypt through the prism of archaeological remains. Its emphasis is on the Egyptian Empire in Canaan (ca. 1500–1150 BCE), especially its military and administrative presence in the land. Egyptian and Egyptian-style objects from this period, mainly from sites in Israel and some on view for the first time, form the core of the exhibition. Canaan is mentioned in the Bible and in ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern records. Its area covered present-day Israel, western Jordan, Lebanon, and coastal and southern Syria, and its population was Semitic. Ties between Egypt and southern Canaan began in the late fourth millennium BCE, when goods from southern Canaan were imported for the Egyptian elite. With the intensification of maritime trade, Egypt shifted its attention to the Lebanese coast, and trade increased significantly. Following the weakening of central rule in Egypt, Canaanites who had settled in the eastern Delta managed to establish a dynasty that ruled northern Egypt. After these foreigners were expelled and Egypt was reunited, its pharaohs embarked on military campaigns that led to the founding of the Egyptian Empire, which lasted some 350 years.