How the Nations Got Their Names

These founders were grandsons of Noah, and in their honor the nations were given names by those who first took possession of them. Japheth, the son of Noah, had seven sons. They settled so that, beginning at the mountains Taurus and Amanus, they spread through Asia as far as the river Tanais, and through Europe as far as Cadiz. Settling on the lands they came upon, where no one had lived before, they called the nations by their own names. Gomer founded those whom the Greeks now call Galatians, but who were then called Gomerites. Magog founded those who were named Magogites after him, but whom the Greeks call Scythians. As for Javan and Madai, the sons of Japheth: from Madai came the Madeans, whom the Greeks call Medes; and from Javan come Ionia and all the Greeks. Tubal founded the Thobelites, who are now called Iberians; and the Mosocheni were founded by Meshech — they are now the Cappadocians. There is still a trace of their ancient name to be seen, for even now there is a city among them called Mazaca, which shows those who can understand it that the whole nation was once called so. Tiras, too, called those he ruled Thirasians, but the Greeks changed the name to Thracians. So many were the countries that the children of Japheth inhabited. [a]

Of the three sons of Gomer, Ashkenaz founded the Aschanaxians, whom the Greeks now call Rheginians. Riphath likewise founded the Ripheans, now called Paphlagonians, and Togarmah the Thrugrammeans, whom the Greeks decided to name Phrygians. Of the three sons of Javan, Japheth’s son, Elishah gave his name to the Eliseans, his subjects, who are now the Aeolians; and Tarshish — Tharsus, in Greek — gave his to the Tharsians, for that was the old name of Cilicia. The proof is this: their noblest city, which is also their capital, is Tarsus, with tau put in place of theta. Kittim held the island of Cethima, which is now called Cyprus, and that is why the Hebrews call all islands, and most coastlands, Kittim. One city in Cyprus has managed to keep the name: those who speak Greek call it Citium, and even in that dialect it has not escaped the name of Kittim. So many nations did the children and grandchildren of Japheth possess.

Now, after first explaining something the Greeks may not know, I will go back and explain what I have left out. These names are pronounced here in the Greek manner, to please my readers, for our own language does not pronounce them so; in our language every name keeps one and the same ending in every case. Noah, for instance, whom we here call Nochos, is called Noe in our language, and keeps that one form in every case.

The children of Ham possessed the land from Syria and Mount Amanus and the mountains of Lebanon, seizing all that lay along its coasts as far as the ocean, and keeping it as their own. Some of its names have vanished entirely; others have been changed and given a different sound, so that they are hard to recognize; yet a few have kept their names whole. Of the four sons of Ham, time has done no harm at all to the name of Cush: the Ethiopians, over whom he reigned, are to this day called Cushites, both by themselves and by everyone in Asia. The memory of the Mesraites is also kept in their name, for all of us who live in this country call Egypt Mestre and the Egyptians Mestreans. Put, too, was the founder of Libya, and called its inhabitants Phutites after himself. There is also a river in the country of the Moors that bears that name, which is why most of the Greek historians mention that river and the country next to it under the name of Phut. But the name the country has now was given to it, by a change, from one of the sons of Mizraim, called Lybyos. We will tell you shortly why it is also called Africa. Canaan, the fourth son of Ham, settled the country now called Judea and called it Canaan after himself. [h]

Cush had six sons: Seba, who founded the Sabeans; Havilah, who founded the Evileans, who are called Gaetulians; Sabtah founded the Sabathens, whom the Greeks now call Astaborans; Sabteca settled the Sabactens; and Raamah the Ragmeans. Raamah had two sons, one of whom, Dedan, settled the Judadeans, a nation of the western Ethiopians, and left them his name; and the other, Sheba, settled the Sabeans. But Nimrod, the son of Cush, stayed at Babylon and ruled there as a tyrant, as we have already told you.

All eight children of Mizraim possessed the country from Gaza to Egypt, though it kept the name of only one of them, the Philistim; for the Greeks call part of that country Palestine. As for the rest — Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim (who alone settled in Libya and called the country after himself), Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim and Caphtorim — we know nothing of them besides their names, because the Ethiopian war, which we will describe later, was the reason their cities were overthrown.

The sons of Canaan were these: Sidonius, who also built a city of the same name in Phoenicia, which the Greeks call Sidon. Amathus founded Amathus, which is still called Amathe by the inhabitants, though the Macedonians named it Epiphania after one of the Successors. Arudeus possessed the island of Aradus, and Arucas possessed Arce, which is in Lebanon. But of the seven others — Eueus, Chetteus, Jebuseus, Amorreus, Gergesus, Sineus and Samareus — we have nothing in the sacred books but their names, for the Hebrews overthrew their cities; and their misfortunes came on them on the following occasion.

After the flood, when the earth had been restored to its former condition, Noah set about farming it. He planted it with vines, and when the fruit was ripe and he had gathered the grapes in season and the wine was ready to drink, he offered sacrifice and feasted. Being drunk, he fell asleep and lay naked in an indecent way. When his youngest son saw this, he came laughing and showed him to his brothers; but they covered their father’s nakedness. When Noah learned what had been done, he prayed for prosperity for his other sons. As for Ham, he did not curse him, because he was so close to him in blood, but he cursed his descendants. And when the rest of them escaped that curse, God brought it on the children of Canaan. But we will say more about these matters later. [p]

Shem, the third son of Noah, had five sons, who lived in the land that began at the Euphrates and reached to the Indian Ocean. Elam left behind him the Elamites, the ancestors of the Persians. Asshur lived at the city of Nineveh and named his subjects Assyrians, who became the most prosperous of all nations. Arphaxad named the Arphaxadites, who are now called Chaldeans. Aram had the Aramites, whom the Greeks called Syrians; and Lud founded the Laudites, who are now called Lydians. Of the four sons of Aram, Uz founded Trachonitis and Damascus; this country lies between Palestine and Coele-Syria. Hul founded Armenia, and Gether the Bactrians, and Mesa the Mesaneans; their country is now called Charax Spasini. [q]

Shelah was the son of Arphaxad, and his son was Eber, after whom the Jews were originally called Hebrews. Eber fathered Joktan and Peleg. Peleg was so called because he was born at the time the nations were dispersed to their various countries, for among the Hebrews Peleg means division. Joktan, one of the sons of Eber, had these sons: Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Ebal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. These lived from the Cophen, a river of India, and in part of Seria next to it. That is enough about the sons of Shem.

I will now turn to the Hebrews. The son of Peleg, whose father was Eber, was Reu; his son was Serug, to whom Nahor was born; and Nahor’s son was Terah, who was the father of Abraham. Abraham was therefore the tenth from Noah, and was born in the 992nd year after the flood; for Terah fathered Abram in his seventieth year. Nahor fathered Terah when he was 120 years old; Nahor was born to Serug in his 132nd year; Reu had Serug at 130; at the same age Peleg had Reu; Eber fathered Peleg in his 134th year, having himself been fathered by Shelah when Shelah was 130 years old; and Arphaxad had Shelah as his son in the 135th year of his age. Arphaxad was the son of Shem and was born twelve years after the flood. [v]

Abram had two brothers, Nahor and Haran. Of these, Haran left a son, Lot, as well as daughters, Sarai and Milcah, and died among the Chaldeans, in a Chaldean city called Ur; his tomb is shown to this day. These married their nieces: Nahor married Milcah, and Abram married Sarai. Then Terah, who had come to hate Chaldea because of his grief for Haran, moved with them all to Haran in Mesopotamia, where he died and was buried, having lived 205 years. For human life was already being cut shorter by degrees, and it grew shorter than before until the birth of Moses; after him the span of human life was 120 years, God fixing it at the length Moses happened to live. Nahor had eight sons by Milcah: Uz and Buz, Kemuel, Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel. These were all Nahor’s legitimate sons; for Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maacah were born to him by Reumah, his concubine. And Bethuel had a daughter, Rebekah, and a son, Laban.