THE DESCENDANTS OF
JAPHETH
Genesis 10:2-5
The
descendants of Japheth, after the Tower of Babel, when God made man go out and
populate the world migrated west and north. The sons of Japheth's sons are
listed giving more detail than is found in the list of Ham's or Shem's sons. A
study of names Japheth's sons and grandsons sheds some light on who are his
descendants today.
Name of the Son
|
People Associated With the Name
|
Japheth
|
Greeks, Aryans of India
|
Gomer
|
People living in area of the Black Sea, Germany and Wales.
|
Magog
|
Reference to "Gog" referring to Georgia, a region
near the Black Sea and Scythians.
|
Madai
|
Medes (Persia), Japheth through Madai father of peoples of
India.
|
Javan
|
People of Greece and Cyprus.
|
Tubal
|
Russian, city of Tobolsk.
|
Meshech
|
Russian, (Name Muskovi) city of Moscow.
|
Tiras
|
Thracians, possibly the Etruscans of Italy.
|
Ashkenaz
|
Germany, Armenia, Scandinavia, Denmark, northern islands of
Europe and European west coast.
|
Ripath
|
Generally Europe, Carpathians and Paphlagonians
|
Togarmah
|
Armenians, Germany and Turkey
|
Elishah
|
Greeks ("Hellas" is a form of word Elishah)
|
Tarshish
|
Spain, Carthage in North Africa
|
Kittim
|
Greeks, Cyprus, Macedonia
|
Dodanium
|
Greeks, Rhodes, Dardanelles
|
(The above information came from Henry M. Morris's book The
Genesis Record, pages 247-249)
The seven sons of Japheth
‘Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah,
Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. The
sons of Japheth; Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, Tiras.
The first of Noah’s grandsons mentioned is
Gomer. Ezekiel locates the early descendants of Gomer, along with Togarmah (a
son of Gomer), in the north quarters (Ezekiel 38:6).
In modern Turkey is an area which in New Testament times was called Galatia.
The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus records that the people who were called
Galatians or Gauls in his day (c. AD 93) were previously called Gomerites.
They migrated westward to what are now called France and
Spain. For many centuries France was called Gaul, after the descendants
of Gomer. North-west Spain is called Galicia to this day.
Some of the Gomerites migrated further to what is now called Wales.
The Welsh historian, Davis, records a traditional Welsh belief that the
descendants of Gomer ‘landed on the Isle of Britain from France, about three
hundred years after the flood’. He also records that
the Welsh language is called Gomeraeg (after their ancestor Gomer).
Other members of their clan settled along the way, including
in Armenia. The sons of Gomer were ‘Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah’
(Genesis 10:3). Encyclopaedia
Britannica says that the Armenians traditionally claim to be descended from
Togarmah and Ashkenaz. Ancient Armenia encompassed the whole of
Turkey as well as what is known as Armenia today. The name Turkey probably
comes from Togarmah. Others of them migrated to Germany. Ashkenaz
is the Hebrew word for Germany.
The next grandson mentioned is Magog. According to Ezekiel,
Magog lived in the north parts (Ezekiel 38:15,
39:2). Josephus records that those whom he called Magogites, the Greeks called
Scythians. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, the ancient name for
the region which now includes part of Romania and the Ukraine was
Scythia.
The next grandson is Madai. Along with Shem’s son Elam, Madai
is the ancestor of our modern-day Iranians. Josephus says that the descendants
of Madai were called Medes by the Greeks. Every time the Medes are
mentioned in the Old Testament, the word used is the Hebrew word Madai
(maday). After the time of Cyrus, the Medes are always (with one exception)
mentioned along with the Persians. They became one kingdom with one law—‘the
law of the Medes and Persians’ (Daniel 6:8, 12, 15). Later they were simply called Persians. Since 1935
they have called their country Iran. The Medes also ‘settled India
The name of the next grandson, Javan, is the Hebrew word for Greece.
Greece, Grecia, or Grecians appears five times in the Old
Testament, and is always the Hebrew word Javan. Daniel refers to ‘the
king of Grecia’ (Daniel 8:21), literally ‘the king
of Javan’. Javan’s sons were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim (Genesis 10:4),
all of whom have connections with the Greek people. The Elysians (an ancient
Greek people) obviously received their name from Elishah. Tarshish or Tarsus
was located in the region of Cilicia (modern Turkey).
Encyclopaedia Britannica says that Kittim
is the biblical name for Cyprus. The people
who initially settled around the area of Troy worshipped Jupiter under the name
of Jupiter Dodonaeus, possibly a reference to the fourth son of Javan, with
Jupiter a derivative of Japheth. His oracle was at Dodena. The Greeks worshipped
this god but called him Zeus.
Next is Tubal. Ezekiel mentions him along with Gog and
Meshech (Ezekiel 39:1).
Tiglath-pileser I, king of Assyria in about 1100 BC, refers to the descendants
of Tubal as the Tabali. Josephus recorded their name as the Thobelites, who
were later known as Iberes.
‘Their land, in Josephus’ day, was called by the Romans
Iberia, and covered what is now (the former Soviet State of) Georgia whose
capital to this day bears the name Tubal as Tbilisi. From here, having crossed
the Caucasus mountains, this people migrated due north-east, giving their
tribal name to the river Tobol, and hence to the famous city of Tobolsk.’
Meshech, the name of the next grandson, is the ancient
name for Moscow. Moscow is both the capital of Russia, and the region
that surrounds the city. To this day, one section, the Meshchera Lowland, still
carries the name of Meshech, virtually unchanged by the ages.
According to Josephus, the descendants of grandson Tiras were
called Thirasians. The Greeks changed their name to Thracians. Thrace reached
from Macedonia on the south to the Danube River on the north to the
Black Sea on the east. It took in much of what became Yugoslavia. World
Book Encyclopaedia says: ‘The people of Thrace were savage Indo-Europeans,
who liked warfare and looting.’ Tiras was worshipped by his
descendants as Thuras, or Thor, the god of thunder.
Japheth.
Also Diphath. Literal meanings are opened, enlarged, fair or
light (father of the Caucasoid/Indo-Europoid, Indo-European, Indo-Germanic,
or Indo-Aryan people groups - Japhethites).
Japheth is the progenitor of seven sons:
(1) Gomer "complete"
(sons were Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah) - also Gamir, Gommer, Gomeri,
Gomeria, Gomery, Goth, Guth, Gutar, Götar, Gadelas, Galic, Gallic, Galicia,
Galica, Galatia, Gaulacia, Gael, Galatae, Galatoi, Gaul, Galls, Goar, Georgian,
Celt, Celtae, Celticae, Kelt, Keltoi, Gimmer, Gimmerai, Gimirra, Gimirrai,
Gimirraya, Kimmer, Kimmeroi, Kimirraa, Kumri, Umbri, Cimmer, Cimmeria, Cimbri,
Cimbris, Crimea, Chomari, Cymric, Cymry, Cymru, Cymbry, Cumber (Cimmerians,
Caledonians, Armenians, Phrygians, Turks, Picts, Milesians, Umbrians,
Helvetians, Celts, Galatians, Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Goths, Vandals,
Scandinavians, Jutes, Teutons, Franks, Burgundians, Alemanni, Germans,
Belgians, Dutch, Luxembourgers, Liechensteiners, Austrians, Swiss, Angles,
Saxons, Britons, English, Cornish, Irish, Welsh, Scots, French, and other
related groups);
(2) Magog
"land of Gog" (sons were Elichanaf, Lubal, Baath, Jobhath and
Fathochta) - also Gog, Cog, Gogh, Gogue, Gogarene, Jagog, Yajuj, Majuj, Juz,
Majuz, Agag, Magug, Magogae, Magogue, Ma-Gogue, Mugogh, Mat Gugi, Gugu, Gyges,
Bedwig, Moghef, Magogian, Massagetae, Getae, Dacae, Sacae, Saka, Scyth, Skythe,
Scythi, Scythii, Scythini, Scythia, Scythae, Sythia, Scythes, Skuthai, Skythai,
Cathaia, Scythia, Skythia, Scynthia, Scynthius, Sythian, Skudra Sclaveni,
Samartian, Sogdian, Slovon, Skodiai, Scotti, Skolot, Skoloti, Scoloti, Skolo-t,
Skoth-ai, Skoth, Skyth, Skuthes, Skuth-a, Slavs, Ishkuzai, Askuza, Askuasa,
Alani, Alans, Alanic, Ulan, Uhlan (Scythians, Scots); also Rasapu,
Rashu, Rukhs, Rukhs-As, Rhos, Ros, Rosh, Rox, Roxolani, Rhoxolani, Ruskolan,
Rosichi, Rhossi, Rusichi, Rus, Ruska, Rossiya, Rusian (Russians,
Belarusians, Ukrainians, Chechens, Dagestanis); also Mas-ar, Mas-gar,
Masgar, Mazar, Madj, Madjar, Makr-on, Makar, Makaroi, Merkar, Magor, Magar,
Magyar (Hungarians - also Huns, Hungar, Hunugur, Hurri, Gurri, Onogur,
Ugor, Ungar, Uhor, Venger); Yugoslavians, Finns, Lapps, Estonians,
Siberians, Voguls, Poles, Czechs, Croatians, Bosnians, Montenegrins, Mordvins,
Serbians, Slovenians, Slovakians, Karelians, Komi-Zyrians, Udmurts, Izhorians,
Livonians, Bulgarians, Avars, Tartars, Turks, Colchi, Armenians, Georgians and
other related groups).
(3) Madai
"middle land" (sons were Achon, Zeelo, Chazoni and Lotalso) - also Mada,
Amada, Madae, Madea, Manda, Maday, Media, Madaean, Mata, Matiene, Mitani,
Mitanni, Minni, Megala (Medes, Aryans, Persians, Parsa, Parsees,
Achaemenians, Manneans, Caspians, Kassites, Iranians, Achaemenians, Kurds, East
Indians, Romani, Pathans, Hazaras), including the peoples of Afghanistan,
Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Khazachstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikstan and
Kyrgyzstan, and other related groups;
(4) Javan
"miry" (sons were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim) - also Jevanim,
Iewanim, Iawan, Iawon, Iamanu, Iones, Ionians, Ellas, Ellines, El-li-ness,
Hellas, Hellenes, Yavan, Yavanas, Yawan, Yuban, Yauna, Uinivu, Xuthus (Grecians,
Greeks, Elysians, Spartans, Dorians, Tartessians, Britons, Aeolians, Achaeans,
Myceneans, Macedonians, Albanians, Carthaginians, Cyprians, Cypriots, Cretans,
Latins, Venetians, Sicanians, Italics, Romans, Valentians, Sicilians,
Cilicians, Italians, Spaniards, Portugese, other related groups);
(5) Tubal
"brought" (sons were Ariphi, Kesed and Taari) - also Tabal,
Tabali, Tubalu, Thobal, Thobel (Thobelites, Iberoi, Ibers, Iberians,
Ivernians, Irish, Spanish, other related groups), Tbilisi, Tibarenoi,
Tibareni, Tibar, Tibor, Sabir, Sapir, Sabarda, Subar, Subartu, Tobol, Tobolsk
(Cossacks, Samoyeds, Siberians, other related groups);
(6) Meshech
"drawing out" (sons were Dedon, Zaron and Shebashnialso) - Me'shech,
Mes'ek, Meshekh, Meshwesh, Meskhi, Meschera, Mushch, Muschki, Mushki, Mishi,
Muski, Mushku, Musku, Muskeva, Muska, Muskaa, Muskai, Maskali, Machar,
Maskouci, Mazakha, Mazaca, Mtskhetos, Modar-es, Moskhi, Moshkhi, Mosah, Mosher,
Moshch, Moschis, Mosoch, Moschi, Moschian, Moshakian, Mo'skhoi, Moschoi,
Mosochenu, Mosochean, Mossynes, Mosynoeci, Moskva, Moscovy, Moscow
(Muscovites, Latvians, Lithuanians, Romanians, other related groups);
(7) Tiras
"desire" (sons were Benib, Gera, Lupirion and Gilak) - also
Tiracian, Thracian, Thirasian, Thiras, Thuras, Tyritae, Thrasus, Thrace,
Trausi, Tereus, Trecae, Troas, Tros, Troia, Troiae, Troyes, Troi, Troy, Troya,
Trajan, Trojan, Taunrus, Tyras, Tyrsen, Tyrrhena, Illyrian, Ilion, Ilium,
Rasenna, Tursha, Tusci, Tuscany, Etruria, Etruschi, Etruscan, Eturscan,
Euskadi, Euskara (Basque), Erul, Herul, Heruli, Erilar, Vanir, Danir,
Daner, Aesar, Aesir, Asir, Svear, Svea, Svie, Svioner, Svenonian, Urmane, Norge
(Leleges, Carians, Pelasgians, Scandinavians, Varangians, Vikings, Swedes,
Norwegians, Danes, Icelandics, Baltics, other related groups).
The Japhetic people are, in general, the peoples of India and
Europe (Indo-European stock), with which any demographer is familiar.
1 The whole Celtic race has been regarded as descended
from Gomer, though history suggests modern Celts are descended from both Gomer
and Magog. Archaeologists and ethnologists agree that the first
Indo-European group to spread across Europe were Celts. The Irish Celts
claim to be to the descendants of Magog, while the Welsh Celts claim to be to
the descendants of Gomer. Irish chronicles, genealogies, plus an
extensive number of manuscripts which have survived from ancient times, reveal
their roots. The Irish were descendants of Scythians, also known as
Magogians, which is strongly supported by etymological evidence.
Archaeological evidence shows that both the Celts (from Gomer) and Scythians
(from Magog) freely shared and mingled cultures at their earliest stages.
Russian and eastern European excavations plainly reveal the blending of these
two groups. Their geographical locations (what is now eastern Europe,
southern Russia and Asia Minor) were referred to by the Greeks under the name
of Celto-Scythae, which was populated by the Celts to the south and west, and
the Scythians to the north. The ancient Greeks first called the northern
peoples by the general name of Scythae; but when they became acquainted with the
nations in the west, they began to call them by the different names of Celts,
including the Celto-Scythae. Celts and Scythians were considered
essentially the same peoples, based on geography, though many independent
tribes of Celts and Scythians existed. The Latins called them
"Galli," and the Romans referred to them as "Gauls," and
considered them fiercely independent barbarians. Later names used by
Greeks were the Galatai or Galatae, Getae, Celtae and Keltoi. In the
third century before Christ (about 280 B.C.), the Gauls invaded Rome and were
ultimately repelled into Greece, where they migrated into the north-central
part of Asia Minor (Anatolia). They conquered the indigenous peoples of
that region and established their own independent kingdom. The land
became known as Galatia (Gaulatia). The Apostle Paul wrote his famous
epistle to their descendants, the Galatians. Jewish historian Flavius
Josephus wrote that the Galatians of his day (93 A.D.) were previously called
Gomerites. Early Celtic tribes (from Gomer) settled much of the European
theater, including present-day Spain, France, England and Germany, prior to
contact with Scythians. For many centuries France was called Gaul, after
the Celtic descendants of Gomer, whom ceded the territory to Romans and
Germanic/Teutonic Franks (whence France) in the 4th century A.D.
Northwest Spain is called Galicia to this day. Some of the Gomerites
migrated further to what is now called Wales. The Welsh claim their
ancestors "first landed on the Isle of Britain from France, about three
hundred years after the flood." The Celtic language survives intact
today mainly in the two variants of Welsh and Irish/Scottish Gaelic. The
Welsh call their language Gomeraeg (after Gomer). The Celts of today are
descendants of Gomer, and of the blended tribes of Magog and Gomer.
2 Present-day Germanic
people groups are descendants of both Japheth and Shem, and there are several
references from recent and ancient history. Recent history records the
descendants of Gomer migrated and settled in the region that is now northern
Europe (Germany and Scandinavia). These tribes became the Goths,
Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Teutons and Burgundians, descendants of some of the
first peoples to migrate to northern Europe from ancient times—the
Askaeni. The Askaeni were descendants of Ashkenaz, son of Gomer, son of
Japheth. When the Askaeni arrived in northern Europe, they named the land
Ascania after themselves, which later translated Scandia, then
Scandinavia. Later in history, we find the Askaeni being referred to as
Sakasenoi, which became Sachsen, and finally Saxon. The Saxons played an
large part in European and English history. Ashkenaz has been one of the
most well preserved names throughout European history.
Semitic peoples also migrated to central Europe (southern
Germany, Austria and Switzerland). These people were the descendants of
Asshur, son of Shem, where early Germans originated. Asshur is well known
in history as the father of the Assyrians. In the Aramaic language,
"Aturaye" means Assyrian, and the land of the Assyrians is called
"Atur," which became "Tyr" or "Teiw" by early
Germanic peoples. Later, the name linguistically changes to
"Ziu." Germans likely derived their identity and language from
these ancestral names. The earliest known name of the German language was
called "Diutisc," which later becomes Dietsch, Deutsch
or Deutsche (what Germans call themselves today). Deutschland (land of
the Deutsch) could be called "Asshurland." The Romans referred
to the Deutschen as Teutons or Teutones. The Teutons were a
tribe of Germans nearly wiped out by Romans in the second century B.C.
The term "German" comes from Latin (Roman)
sources. The Assyrians occupied a Mesopotamian city on the lower Tigris
River called "Kir" and placed captive slaves there (also referenced
in 2 Kings 16:9, Isaiah 22:5-6, Amos 1:5, 9:7). The city was populated by
the Assyrians for many years, and the inhabitants became known as
"Kir-man." The Assyrians (Kerman) were driven from their land shortly
after their fall about 610 B.C. They migrated into central Europe where
they were called "German" or "Germanni," a general name
used by the Romans to represent all Assyrian tribes. The known Assyrian
tribes were the Khatti (also, Chatti, Hatti and Hessian)—Chatti is still the
Hebrew term for German, and Khatti was also used by the Romans to represent
various Germanic tribes; the Akkadians (Latins called them Quadians); the
Kassites (or Cossaei); and the Almani (or Halmani, Allemani was the Latin name).
Almani or Almain were historical terms for Germans living in southern
Germany. Without question, these Assyrian Germans assimilated with the
previously established tribes of Askaeni (descendants of Gomer) and adopted
their Indo-European language, becoming one people.
3 One of the earliest
references to Gog is thought to come from Assyrian inscriptions in the 9th
century B.C. referencing "Mat Gugi," meaning "country of the
Gugu." Hesiod, considered the father of Greek didactic poetry and
literature, identified Magog with the Scythians and southern Russia in the 7th
century B.C., written prior the book of Ezekiel. Hesiod likely derived
this from the Colchi people (a Thracian tribe) where, in their ancient Chaldaic
language, described the region of southern Russia as "Gog-chasan" or
"Gog-hasan" (Arabic "Gog-i-hisn") meaning "fortress of
Gog" or "Gog's fort." There are scholars who also suggest
that Gog and Magog, as a region, is where the name "Caucasus"
originated. Certain scholars speculate the name "Caucasus" was
derived from "Gog-chasan" which the Greeks translated as Gogasus or
Caucasus. The Caucasus is generally considered the land between the Black
and Caspian seas.
Greek historian Herodotus, whom historians call "the
father of history," mentions in the 5th century B.C. a people living
around the Caucasus mountains called "Gargarians." Greek myth
depicted the Gargarians as "Gorgons," which eventually became Gorgene
or Gorgaene. He also wrote extensively about the descendants of Magog by
their Greek name, the Scythians, about 150 years after Ezekiel. He wrote
of "Royal Scythians" who ruled over all other Scythians of
Scythia. Herodotus describes them as living in the territory north of the
Black Sea, and that they terrorized the southern steppes of Russia beginning in
the 10th century B.C. Numerous archaeological discoveries have confirmed
Herodotus' reports in general, and his Scythian accounts in particular.
Flavius Josephus, Jewish and Roman historian, continued with that reference in
the 1st century A.D. when he records that Magogians were called
"Scythians" by the Greeks. Philo, Greek and Jewish philosopher
in the 1st century A.D., also identified Magog with southern Russia.
The Gargarians show up again in Greek history. Strabo,
early 1st century Greek historian, geographer and philosopher, famous for his
17-volume work Geographica which presented a descriptive history of
people and places from different regions of the world known to his era,
mentions "Gogarene" as a region in Iberia (present-day Armenia and
Georgia). Scholars agree Gogarene is one of the best preserved names from
Gog, which belonged to the Caucasian Iberian kingdom (present-day Armenia and
Georgia) up to the 2nd century B.C. Aelius Herodianus, Greek and Roman scholar
of antiquity, called the region "Goerene" in the 2nd century
A.D. In the 5th century A.D., a viceroy in the region of old Armenia
called himself Achoucha Gougarqtzi (Arshusha of Gogarene). In the 6th
century A.D., geographer Stephanus of Byzantium referred to the region as
Gogarene, and in the 7th century the region was known as Gougarq. Today
it still exists as Gugark, a historical region in Armenia. As noted
earlier, commentators suggest Georgia also derived its name from Gogarene, and
today the Turkish name for Georgia is Gurgistan. In recent history,
certain Georgians referred to themselves as "Gogi."
Interestingly, a peculiar Skythian people, who appear at the end of the 4th
century A.D., called the Geougen (also Jou-jan, Jeu-jen, Juan-juan or
Jwen-jwen), emerging as a powerful empire in the region of Tartary
(Mongolia). Scholars suggest they were a mixture of eastern Huns
(Skythian) and Tungus (Manchu) peoples, who for a short time became a Central
Asian group of historical importance. The empire of the Geougen lasted
from the end of the 4th century A.D. to the middle of the 6th century.
Magog's name is also preserved. Albius Tibullus, Latin
poet in the 1st century B.C., mentions a people living on the River Tanais
(present-day River Don) called "Magini" or "Magotis", whom
scholars say were from the colonies of Magog. The Greeks called the area
where the Magini lived along the Tanais, the "Maeotian marshes" where
the river emptied into the Maeotian Lake (present day Sea of Azov). The
marshes served as a checkpoint to the westward migration of nomad peoples from
the steppe of Central Asia. The area was named after the Maitois or
Maeotae people (as the Greeks and Latins called them) who lived around the
Maeotian Lake or Sea. Jerome (who translated the Latin Vulgate), an
Illyrian Christian apologist of the late 4th and early 5th centuries, affirms
"the Jews of this age understood by Magog the vast and innumerable nations
of Scythia, about Mount Caucasus, and the Palus Maeotis (Latin for Maeotis
Sea), and stretching along the Caspian Sea to India." Scholars
suggest that at the early stages Magogites assimilated with Skythians, thus
making up a part of the early Scythian hordes. In fact, wherever or
whenever we see references to Gog and Magog in name or place, we also see the
Skythians. Many of the mountains peaks in the Caucasian mountains and land
areas there retained the place name "Gog" in medieval European and
Armenian maps. Scholars also regard Gog and Magog as the wild tribes of
Central Asia, including the Scythians, Alans, Parthians, Turks, Tartars,
Mongols, and Huns, who had been making incursions on various kingdoms and
empires from very ancient times. Russian traveller Jacob Reineggs, who
visited the Caucasus five times in the 18th century, left many records of
people groups he enountered. He discovered in the central Caucasus a
people called Thiulet, who lived amidst mountains called Ghef or Gogh.
The very highest of these mountains, lying to the north of their country, they
knew by the name of Moghef or Mugogh. These place names are Gog and Magog
derivatives.
Some have mistakenly confused the term Mongol with
Magog. While the terms sound similar, Mongol was derived from a different
source. For hundreds of years the descendants of Magog arrived from the
west and north from Siberia, settling in parts of northern China. By by
the 8th century A.D., we find the Chinese referring to these invading peoples
as "Huangdou Shiwei" meaning "yellow (blonde) heads."
These Shiwei tribes were also called "Mengwu" or "Maoshou"
which meant "hairy head or hairy face (bearded)" people. The
Mengwu/Maoshou tribes were the first to be called "Mongols", though
they were not Mongoloid peoples of China. The term would later apply to
Mongolic peoples who migrated to the region and named it Mongolia.
4 The Scythians are descended from Ashkenaz, son of
Gomer, son of Japheth, and first appear in Assyrian records as
"Askuza" or "Ishkuzai." The Assyrians tell of the
Askuza as being involved in a revolt and pouring in from the north some time
around the beginning of the 7th century B.C., which is also mentioned in the
Old Testament (Jeremiah 51:27). The Askuza later became the Skythai
(Scythians) of Herodotus. According to scholars, ancient peoples known as
the Sarmatians (not to be confused with the Samaritans) and Alans lived in the
area around the Caspian Sea from about 900 B.C. Sarmatian and Alani
tribes were later called Scythians (Slavic peoples of today), who were also
known as the Rukhs-As, Rashu, Rasapu, Rhossi, Rosh, Ros, and Rus. There
is no debate that they were the inhabitants of southern Russia, and the
existence of the names of rivers, such as the "Ros," refer to Rus
populations. Much later, about 739 A.D., the word Rus appears again in
eastern Europe, interestingly, from a different source. Finnish peoples
referred to Swedes as "Ruotsi," "Rotsi" or "Rus"
in contrast with Slavic peoples, which was derived from the name of the Swedish
maritime district in Uppland, "Roslagen," and its inhabitants, called
"Rodskarlar." Rodskarlar or Rothskarlar meant
"rowers" or "seamen." Those Swedish conquerors
(called Varangians [Vikings] by the Slavs), settled in eastern Europe,
adopted the names of local tribes, integrated with the Slavs, and eventually
the word "Rusi," "Rhos" or "Rus" came to refer to
the inhabitants. Russia means "land of the Rus." Scholars
continue to debate the origin of the word Rus, which has derived from two
sources: the Ruotsi or Rhos, the Finnish names for the
Swedes, and earlier from the Scythians known as Rashu or Rosh in
southern Russia.
5 The Aryans first come
into historical view about a thousand years before Christ, invading India and threatening
Babylonia. Historians of old reference an Aryan chief called Cyaxeres,
king of the Medes and Persians. The Medes and Persians seem to have been
tribes of one nation, more or less united under the rule of Cyaxeres.
Elam (son of Shem) is the ancient name for Persia. Elamites are
synonymous with Persians. The Persians are thus descended from both Elam,
the son of Shem, and from Madai, the son of Japheth. The Medes and
Persians had settled in what is now modern Persia, the Medes in the north, the
Persians in the south. The most notable Persians of today are the
Iranians. Interestingly, the word Iran is a derivative of Aryan.
The Medo-Persian people groups are divided into hundreds of clans, some
sedentary and others nomadic. All speak Indo-European languages, and some
groups have pronounced Mongoloid physical characteristics and cultural traits,
derived from Mongolian invasions and subsequent cultural integration. An
example today would be the Uzbeks of Uzbekistan, and remnant groups living in
Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia.
6 The history of Britain can be traced back to the sons
of Japheth. Historical evidence strongly suggests the first inhabitants
of the British isles were the descendants of Javan (from his sons Elishah and
Tarshish), and of Gomer and Magog. Gomerites are today's modern
Welsh. Traditional Welsh belief is that the descendants of Gomer arrived
about three hundred years after the flood, and the Welsh language was once
called Gomeraeg. The Welsh (Celts) are thought to have created
Stonehenge. Additionally, the descendants of Tarshish (Elishah's brother)
appear to have settled on the British Isles in various migrations about the
same time. Genesis 10:4 refers to Tarshish as those of "the isles of
the Gentiles." The Phoenicians traded silver, iron, tin and lead
with them (Ezekiel 27:7,12), and even mention the incredible stone monuments at
Stonehenge. Around 450 B.C., ancient historian Herodotus wrote about
shipments of tin coming from the "Tin Isles" far to the north and
west. There is no question that the British isles, including the northern
coast of Spain, were the seat of the tin trade. King Solomon acquired
precious metals from Tarshish (1 Kings 10:22). English historians assert
that British mines mainly supplied the glorious adornment of Solomon's Temple,
and in those days the mines of southwestern Britain were the source of the
world's supply of tin.
The name Briton originated from Brutus (a descendant
of Elishah), the first king on Britain's mainland, arriving about 1100
B.C. Two sons of Brutus, Kamber and Albanactus, are
referenced in English prehistory. From Kamber came Cambaria and the Cambrians
(who integrated with the Gomerites [mostly Celts] and became the present-day Welsh).
The descendants of Albanactus were known as the Albans (or the Albanach
whom the Irish commonly called them). Geographers would later call the
land Albion. The Britons (also Brythons), Cambrians and Albans
populated the British Isles, which later endured multiple invasions, beginning
with successive waves of Celts about 700 B.C. The Celts (or Gaels)
called the land Prydain, their name for Briton. Those Celts
(descendants of Gomer) integrated with the descendants of Elishah and Tarshish
(sons of Javan), creating what some scholars called "a Celticized
aboriginal population" in the British Isles. Some of the invading
people groups were Scythians, descended from Magog, who became known as the
Skoths or Scots. The name for the Celts or Cymru was "Weahlas,"
from Anglo-Saxon origins, meaning "land of foreigners"—Wales.
The Welsh still call themselves Cymru, pronounced "Coomry."
Later the Romans referred to the land as Britannia, invading there about
50 years before the birth of Christ. By the third century A.D., Jutes,
Franks, Picts, Moors, Angles, Saxons and other groups were invading from
surrounding Europe. In the sixth century A.D., Saxons called the land
Kemr (Cymru), and the language Brithenig (Breton). The Angles
eventually conquered Britannia, renaming the territory Angleland, which
became England. Vikings invaded in the 9th century, and the
Normans (or Northmen—former Danish Vikings) conquered England in 1066.
Today, the British isles are settled by the ancestors of those people groups,
which included Gomer and Javan (first inhabitants), plus Magog (later invasions
by various people groups).
7 What of Romans and
pre-Roman peoples? Migrating nomadic peoples came from across the Alps
and across the Adriatic Sea to the east of the Italian peninsula. They
were primarily herdsmen, and were technologically advanced. They worked
bronze, used horses, and had wheeled carts. They were a war-like people
and began to settle the mountainous areas of the Italian peninsula.
Historians called these people Italic, and they include several ethnic
groups: the Sabines, the Umbrians and the Latins, amongst others.
Rome was, in part, founded by these agrarian Italic peoples living south of the
Tiber river. They were a tribal people, and thus tribal organization
dominated Roman society in both its early and late histories. The date of the
founding of Rome is uncertain, but archaeologists estimate its founding to
around 753 B.C., although it existed as a village or group of villages long
before then. As the Romans steadily developed their city, government and
culture, they imitated the neighboring civilization to the north, the Etruscans
(former Trojans). Romans are sometimes referred to as "Etruscanized
Latins." Roman legend states that Aeneas, founder of the Roman race,
was a prince of Troy who was forced to flee that city at the close of the
Trojan war against Greece. Rome's founder, Romulus, had a Latinized
Etruscan name. The Etruscans dominated central Italy, and had already
founded many cities, having arrived some 500 years earlier after leaving the
city of Troy around 1260 B.C. The Etruscans were greatly influenced by
the Greeks, and the Etruscans brought that influence to the city of Rome.
The Romans called Etruscans the Tusci, and Tuscany still bears the
name. The Etruscan language, once thought lost, is still spoken by the
Basques, called Euskara. The first two centuries of Rome's growth
was dominated by the Etruscans. The Romans were first a subject people of
the Etruscans, but the Romans would later be their conquerors. After many
battles with the Etruscans, the city of Rome identified itself as Latin,
eventually integrating the Estruscans and remaining peoples in the
region. Rome became a kingdom, then an empire.
8 The Irish were likely some of the first settlers of
Great Britain. The Irish derive their name from Tubal, son of
Japheth. Tubal's descendant's were called by various names, including Tabali
(Tibarenoi in Greek), Tiberani (from the annals of the Assyrian Kings
from which Iberian is derived), and Thobel from which the Thobelites
came who were also called Iberes according to Jewish historian Flavius
Josephus in the 1st century AD. Scholars note the Iberian and Ivernian
peoples were a Mediterranean race from the east, possibly originating from the
area of present-day Georgia. Tabal, Tubal, Jabal and Jubal were ancient
Georgian tribal designations. The Iberians settled in what is now
present-day Spain or Hispania, the name given by the Romans to the whole
of the Iberian Peninsula. The Ivernians settled in the British Isles,
arriving by sea as early as the 5th century B.C. Later invading Celts
(called Goidels, later Gaels) encountered the tribes of Iverni (also Euerni),
noting they were a small, dark-haired race, harsh-featured and long-headed.
Strabo's early 1st century work Geographia lists the Greek name of the
isle as Iernh. Ptolemy's 2nd century works describe the pre-Celtic
tribes of Iverni as Eraind or Erainn who spoke a Proto-Celtic
language known as Ivernic (Primitive Irish). The Iverni were called Iouernoi
by Greeks, also the Hiberni or Hibernians by Romans. As
their names transliterated through time, Iverni descendants would call
themselves Everiu, and later Eire, from which the term Irish
comes, and the land of Eire, or Ireland was derived.
9 The Etruscans are
controversial in history. Their language, culture, and apparent departure
from history are debated amongst scholars. Descendants of Tiras, the
Etruscans did not disappear entirely from history. Their language and people,
though a remnant, are the Basques of today. Though the Basques mixed with
local populations over the past few millennia, their language didn't die.
A number of scholars consider Euskara (Basque language) the closest living
relative to ancient Etruscan. Euskara is an isolate language, meaning it
did not descend from an ancestor common to any other language family known
today. The original Etruscan language (from ancient Etruscans in
northwestern Italy) is thought to be an extinct isolate language, and there is
agreement that the current Euskara language was already present in Western
Europe before the arrival of other Indo-European languages. Another
interesting connection is to Georgian (language of Georgians in southern
Russia), each of which have linguistic commonalities, prompting scholars to
hypothesize Euskara has a relationship to a lost Eurasian superfamily of
languages. This further supports the suggestion that Etruscans were
originally Trojans. After a succession of wars with the Greeks, around
1260 B.C. thousands of Trojans (speaking an ancient Thracian language)
resettled abroad, which included Trojan warriors and families who sailed across
the Black Sea to the Caucasus region in southern Russia, and also those who
sailed to present-day northwest Italy. Their descendants, the Basques,
would eventually migrate into what is present-day southeast France and
northeast Spain.
DNA (R1b Y-DNA haplogroup) findings also support a connection
between Basques and peoples of Georgia. As noted earlier, haplogroups
(i.e., R1b) are used in DNA tests for markers that give a broad or regional
picture; haplotypes are one person's results on various DNA tests. Y-DNA
is the theoretical most recent common male-lineage. The greatest
concentration of the R1b haplogroup maps found a heightened incidence in the
Basque region of Spain and in the region east of the Black Sea in
southern Russia (present-day Georgia). Both DNA research and language
commonalities provide a link to the history of the Basques, and thus the
Etruscans.
10 Scandinavian predecessors have a
unique history. Scholars agree that Scandinavians (Danes, Norwegians,
Swedes) came from early Germanic people groups, including the Goths,
Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Teutons and Burgundians (descendants of Gomer).
Ashkenaz, son of Gomer, is ancestor of those Germanic peoples. The
descendants of Ashkenaz have many historical references. Known as the
Askaeni, they were some of the first peoples to migrate to northern Europe,
naming the region Ascania (after themselves). Latin writers and Greeks
called the land Scandza or Scandia (now Scandinavia). Roman records
describe a large city on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea (about 350 A.D.)
where a chain of mountains begins, and runs eastward along the shore and beyond
it, forming a natural boundary. Those mountains were called the Ascanimians,
the region was called Sakasene (a form of Ashkenaz), and the dwellers of
the city were the Saki. The Saki tribes had been migrating north
to Europe for some time. The Saki called themselves the Sakasenoi,
which we know as the Sachsens or Saxons. Around 280 A.D.
the Romans tell of the employment of Saxons to guard the eastern British coasts
against barbarians. About 565 A.D., the Saxons battled over territory in
the Baltic region with another powerful people, the Svear.
Historical records indicate that descendants of Tiras also settled in
Scandinavia, a people called the Svear. The Svear are descendants of the
first inhabitants of the ancient city of Troy, a people then known as the
Tiracians (also Thracians, Trajans or Trojans). They were described as a
"ruddy and blue-eyed people." The city of Troy was destroyed
around 1260 B.C. after a succession of wars with the Greeks. Thousands of
Trojans resettled abroad, which included Trojan warriors who sailed across the
Black Sea to the Caucasus region in southern Russia. One of the most
documented of Trojan settlements is along the mouth of the River Don on the
Black Sea. The locals (Scythians) named those Trojan settlers the
"Aes," meaning "Iron" for their superior weaponry.
Later, the inner part of the Black Sea was named after them, called the
"Iron Sea" or "Sea of Aesov" in the local tongue.
Today, the name continues as the "Sea of Azov."
The Aes or Aesir, traveled from the Caucasus region to
the Baltic Sea in Scandinavia around 90 B.C., which is supported by scholars,
modern archaeological evidence, and DNA. A tribe that migrated with them
were the Vanir. The Aesir clans traded with local Germanic tribes,
including the Gutar. Romans called the Gutar "Goths," the Aesir
"Svear"—Swedes, and the Vanir "Danir/Daner"—Danes.
The Svear and Daner populations were described specifically as taller and
fairer (blonde) than other people groups in the Baltic region. The Svear
population flourished, and with the Goths they formed a powerful military
alliance of well-known seafarers. The Romans noted that Svear people
together with the Goths were, from the 3rd century A.D., ravaging the Black
Sea, Asia Minor and the Mediterranean, using the same type of weapons as their
Trojan ancestors. The Svear and Goths dominated the Russian waterways,
and by 739 A.D. together they were called Varyagans or Varangians (from
the Swedish Vaeringar), according to written records of the Slavs near
the Sea of Azov. Like their ancestors, Scandinavians lived in large
communities where their chieftains would send out maritime warriors to trade
and plunder. Those fierce warriors were called the Vaeringar,
which literally meant "men who offer their service to another
master." We later know them by their popularized name, the Vikings.
Further evidence of Aesir (Asir) settlements in the Baltic region came from
their Thracian language, which not only influenced, but is very close to the Baltic
and Slavic (Balto-Slavic) languages of today. By the 9th century A.D.,
the Svear state had emerged as the major power in Scandinavia. The Svear,
Daner and Goths, along with other Germanic tribes, settled in what is now
present-day Sweden, Norway, Denmark and other parts of the Baltic region.
They were forefathers of the Scandinavians—the descendants of both Gomer and
Tiras. Y-DNA (the most recent common male-lineage) in Scandinavians was
found to be grouped with the Basques mentioned above.
11 Early history shows
the Japhethites split into two groups. One group settled in the region of
present-day India and Central Asia, and the other group in the European
theater. Indo-European languages originate from those people groups who
migrated throughout western Eurasia (Europe, the Near East, Anatolia, and the
Caucasus). Together they form what is known as the
"Indo-European" family of nations. Both of these divisions
trace their ancestry back to Japheth. For example, early Aryans knew him
as Djapatischta (chief of the race), Greeks referred to Japheth as Iapetos
or Japetos, East Indians called him Jyapeti or Pra-Japati,
Romans used Ju-Pater or Jupiter, the Saxons perpetuated his name
as Iafeth, subsequently transliterated as Sceaf (pronounced
"sheef" or "shaif"—and recorded his name in their early
genealogies as the son of Noah, the forebear of their various peoples), and the
variant Seskef was used by early Scandinavians. All of these
peoples, we must remember, were pagans whose knowledge or even awareness of the
book of Genesis had been lost, or was non-existent.
Endnote: The
information presented here is only an interpretation of historical research and
Biblical data. Certain assumptions may not be accurate, and new
discoveries can change group references. While many of the peoples and
nations listed are easily identifiable, many remain obscure. Numerous
scholars have attempted to identify lost or unknown nations with varying
degrees of success. Much of the material is archaic, and there remains
considerable ambiguity. There are some who suggest problems within the
Table of Nations when attempting to correlate specific people groups with
modern comparative linguistics. For example, we know Elamites descended
from Shem, yet their language was not Semitic. Canaanites descended from
Ham, yet their language was Semitic. These apparent conflicts are not
conflicts at all. Cultures from ancient times were constantly subject to
foreign migrations and invasions. Conquering powers often imposed their
language and culture upon the defeated; this is what came to pass in Elamite
and Canaanite civilizations. There are many other examples in
history. The Israelites, who primarily spoke ancient Hebrew up until the
Babylonian and Persian captivities, would eventually adopt Aramaic, the
official language of the Persian Empire. That resulted in the Jewish
Talmud being written in Aramaic. Aramaic was a language spoken by
Jesus. The famous Grecian conqueror, Alexander the Great, subdued Persia,
and soon the Jews adopted Greek as a second language. The result was the
New Testament being written in Greek.
We are all directly related to either Shem and
his wife, Ham and his wife, or Japheth and his wife. History has long
since confirmed abundantly this distribution of mankind, exactly as the Bible
describes. Every human being on earth today is your cousin, whether
first, second or thousandth! Nothing in the legendary or archaeological
history of the ancient world denies the biblical account of the creation of the
world, the entrance of sin and death, the judgment of Noah's flood, and the
rise of the peoples from his descendants after their dispersal from
Babel. Furthermore, the historical dates used to determine the formation
of people groups, nations or kingdoms does not in any way conflict with the
Genesis account, but are well within the approximate dates for the
creation of the world and mankind about 4000 B.C., the flood of Noah about 2350
B.C., and the dispersal from Babel around 2100 B.C.
This information is not intended to promote or
reflect a particular theology, religious sect or genealogical group.
Don't dismiss the fact that with some of the Shemites, Hamites and Japhethites
there would have been intermarriage and subsequent people groups. For
example, scholars note evidence that suggests the descendants of Lud (Shemites)
migrated north and intermarried with the Greeks (descendants of Japheth), and
were eventually absorbed in that culture.
The interaction of all three family contributions
is the theme of history. The remarkable thing is that they all can be
substantiated to a degree, often unsuspected by students of history, up to the
present time. The descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth are evidenced, not
only by Biblical history, but archeological, anthropological, biological,
ethnographical, ethnological, etymological, geological and secular
history. The question is not one of levels of worth but of uniqueness of
contribution, and though differences exist, not any one group is superior or
inferior.
