Stretching back to the earliest periods of settlement, Palestine has had a mixed population. From Canaanites, Egyptians and Greeks to Babylonians, Persians and European crusaders....Palestine has been an area where tribes and religions came into regular contact. Current scholarship favors the idea that the early Hebrew tribes broke away from a larger Canaanite population, and, in fact, 'Kanaan' is still a common family name among Palestinians. By 1900, Palestinian society was dominated by three communities: Sunni Muslims, Jews and Christians of various sects.