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Retjenu<ref>Faulkner, Ramond O. Middle Egyptian. p. 154. Griffith Institute, Oxford, 1962.</ref> in hieroglyphs

<hiero>r:T-n:nw-w-N25</hiero>

Retjenu, later rendered Retenu, was an Ancient Egyptian name for Canaan and Syria. It covered the region from the Negev Desert north to the Orontes River. The borders of Retjenu shifted with time, but it generally consisted of three regions. The southernmost was Djahy, which had about the same boundaries as Caanan.<ref name="Boundaries">Steindorff, George. When Egypt Ruled the East. p. 47. University of Chicago Press, 1942.</ref> Lebanon proper was located in the middle, between the Mediterranean and the Orontes River.<ref name="Boundaries"/> North of Lebanon was designated Amurru, the land of the Amorites.<ref name="Boundaries"/>

The earliest attestation of the name occurs in the Tale of Sinuhe, inscribed on a piece of limestone in 13th century BCE.

The California Insititute for Ancient Studies has suggested that Retjenu is an Egyptian transliteration of the Hebrew term `eretzenu, meaning "our land".<ref>http://www.specialtyinterests.net/eop7.html#retenue</ref>

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