The descendants of Cham, divided into four great families by the sons of Cham: Chus, Mesram, Phuth, and Chanaan (Genesis 10). They spread over a great territory. The Chusites inhabited Arabia, Africa, and the valleys of the Euphrates and Tigris; Mesram occupied Egypt; Phuth, probably the region west of Egypt, particularly Libya; and Chanaan, the country later occupied by Israel. In Asia and Africa they were conquered by the Semites.