During the Iron Age I, a population in the Southern Levant began to identify itself as 'Israelite', differentiating from its neighbors through unique practices such as prohibitions on intermarriage, emphasis on family history and genealogy, and distinct religious customs.^[24] The number of villages in the highlands increased significantly from the Late Bronze Age to the end of Iron Age I, from about 25 to over 300, with the population doubling from 20,000 to 40,000.^[25] Although there were no distinctive features to define these villages as specifically Israelite, certain markers like the layout of settlements and the absence of pig bones at hill sites were noted. However, these characteristics are not exclusively indicative of Israelite identity.^[26]

Archaeological studies, particularly since 1967, have highlighted the emergence of a distinct culture in the highlands of western Palestine, contrasting with the Philistine and Canaanite societies. This culture, identified with the early Israelites, is characterized by a lack of pork remains, simpler pottery, and practices like circumcision, suggesting a transformation from Canaanite-Philistine cultures rather than a result of an Exodus or conquest.^[27] This transformation appears to have been a peaceful revolution in lifestyle around 1200 BCE, marked by the sudden establishment of numerous hilltop communities in the central hill country of Canaan.^[28] Modern scholars largely view Israel's emergence as an internal development within the Canaanite highlands.^[29]

Archaeologically, early Iron Age Israelite society was composed of small, village-like centers with modest resources and population sizes. Villages, often built on hilltops, featured houses clustered around common courtyards, built from mudbrick with stone foundations, and sometimes wood second stories. The Israelites were primarily farmers and herders, practicing terrace farming and maintaining orchards. While economically largely self-sufficient, there was also regional economic interchange. The society was organized into regional chiefdoms or polities, providing security and possibly subject to larger towns. Writing was used, even in smaller sites, for record-keeping.^[30]