Antiquities of the Jews — Book 1, Chapter 6

1. Now they were the grandchildren of Noah, in honor of whom names were
imposed on the nations by those that first seized upon them. Japhet, the
son of Noah, had seven sons: they inhabited so, that, beginning at the
mountains Taurus and Amanus, they proceeded along Asia, as far as the
river Tansis, and along Europe to Cadiz; and settling themselves on the
lands which they light upon, which none had inhabited before, they
called the nations by their own names. For Gomer founded those whom the
Greeks now call Galatians, [Galls,] but were then called Gomerites.
Magog founded those that from him were named Magogites, but who are by
the Greeks called Scythians. Now as to Javan and Madai, the sons of
Japhet; from Madai came the Madeans, who are called Medes, by the
Greeks; but from Javan, Ionia, and all the Grecians, are derived. Thobel
founded the Thobelites, who are now called Iberes; and the Mosocheni
were founded by Mosoch; now they are Cappadocians. There is also a mark
of their ancient denomination still to be shown; for there is even now
among them a city called Mazaca, which may inform those that are able to
understand, that so was the entire nation once called. Thiras also
called those whom he ruled over Thirasians; but the Greeks changed the
name into Thracians. And so many were the countries that had the
children of Japhet for their inhabitants. Of the three sons of Gomer,
Aschanax founded the Aschanaxians, who are now called by the Greeks
Rheginians. So did Riphath found the Ripheans, now called Paphlagonians;
and Thrugramma the Thrugrammeans, who, as the Greeks resolved, were
named Phrygians. Of the three sons of Javan also, the son of Japhet,
Elisa gave name to the Eliseans, who were his subjects; they are now the
Aeolians. Tharsus to the Tharsians, for so was Cilicia of old called;
the sign of which is this, that the noblest city they have, and a
metropolis also, is Tarsus, the tau being by change put for the theta.
Cethimus possessed the island Cethima: it is now called Cyprus; and from
that it is that all islands, and the greatest part of the sea-coasts,
are named Cethim by the Hebrews: and one city there is in Cyprus that
has been able to preserve its denomination; it has been called Citius by
those who use the language of the Greeks, and has not, by the use of
that dialect, escaped the name of Cethim. And so many nations have the
children and grandchildren of Japhet possessed. Now when I have premised
somewhat, which perhaps the Greeks do not know, I will return and
explain what I have omitted; for such names are pronounced here after
the manner of the Greeks, to please my readers; for our own country
language does not so pronounce them: but the names in all cases are of
one and the same ending; for the name we here pronounce Noeas, is there
Noah, and in every case retains the same termination.

2. The children of Ham possessed the land from Syria and Amanus, and the
mountains of Libanus; seizing upon all that was on its sea-coasts, and
as far as the ocean, and keeping it as their own. Some indeed of its
names are utterly vanished away; others of them being changed, and
another sound given them, are hardly to be discovered; yet a few there
are which have kept their denominations entire. For of the four sons of
Ham, time has not at all hurt the name of Chus; for the Ethiopians, over
whom he reigned, are even at this day, both by themselves and by all men
in Asia, called Chusites. The memory also of the Mesraites is preserved
in their name; for all we who inhabit this country [of Judea] called
Egypt Mestre, and the Egyptians Mestreans. Phut also was the founder of
Libya, and called the inhabitants Phutites, from himself: there is also
a river in the country of Moors which bears that name; whence it is that
we may see the greatest part of the Grecian historiographers mention
that river and the adjoining country by the appellation of Phut: but the
name it has now has been by change given it from one of the sons of
Mesraim, who was called Lybyos. We will inform you presently what has
been the occasion why it has been called Africa also. Canaan, the fourth
son of Ham, inhabited the country now called Judea, and called it from
his own name Canaan. The children of these [four] were these: Sabas, who
founded the Sabeans; Evilas, who founded the Evileans, who are called
Getuli; Sabathes founded the Sabathens, they are now called by the
Greeks Astaborans; Sabactas settled the Sabactens; and Ragmus the
Ragmeans; and he had two sons, the one of whom, Judadas, settled the
Judadeans, a nation of the western Ethiopians, and left them his name;
as did Sabas to the Sabeans: but Nimrod, the son of Chus, staid and
tyrannized at Babylon, as we have already informed you. Now all the
children of Mesraim, being eight in number, possessed the country from
Gaza to Egypt, though it retained the name of one only, the Philistim;
for the Greeks call part of that country Palestine. As for the rest,
Ludieim, and Enemim, and Labim, who alone inhabited in Libya, and called
the country from himself, Nedim, and Phethrosim, and Chesloim, and
Cephthorim, we know nothing of them besides their names; for the
Ethiopic war17 which we shall describe hereafter, was the cause that
those cities were overthrown. The sons of Canaan were these: Sidonius,
who also built a city of the same name; it is called by the Greeks Sidon
Amathus inhabited in Amathine, which is even now called Amathe by the
inhabitants, although the Macedonians named it Epiphania, from one of
his posterity: Arudeus possessed the island Aradus: Arucas possessed
Arce, which is in Libanus. But for the seven others, [Eueus,] Chetteus,
Jebuseus, Amorreus, Gergesus, Eudeus, Sineus, Samareus, we have nothing
in the sacred books but their names, for the Hebrews overthrew their
cities; and their calamities came upon them on the occasion following.

3. Noah, when, after the deluge, the earth was resettled in its former
condition, set about its cultivation; and when he had planted it with
vines, and when the fruit was ripe, and he had gathered the grapes in
their season, and the wine was ready for use, he offered sacrifice, and
feasted, and, being drunk, he fell asleep, and lay naked in an unseemly
manner. When his youngest son saw this, he came laughing, and showed him
to his brethren; but they covered their father's nakedness. And when
Noah was made sensible of what had been done, he prayed for prosperity
to his other sons; but for Ham, he did not curse him, by reason of his
nearness in blood, but cursed his prosperity: and when the rest of them
escaped that curse, God inflicted it on the children of Canaan. But as
to these matters, we shall speak more hereafter.

4. Shem, the third son of Noah, had five sons, who inhabited the land
that began at Euphrates, and reached to the Indian Ocean. For Elam left
behind him the Elamites, the ancestors of the Persians. Ashur lived at
the city Nineve; and named his subjects Assyrians, who became the most
fortunate nation, beyond others. Arphaxad named the Arphaxadites, who
are now called Chaldeans. Aram had the Aramites, which the Greeks called
Syrians; as Laud founded the Laudites, which are now called Lydians. Of
the four sons of Aram, Uz founded Trachonitis and Damascus: this country
lies between Palestine and Celesyria. Ul founded Armenia; and Gather the
Bactrians; and Mesa the Mesaneans; it is now called Charax Spasini. Sala
was the son of Arphaxad; and his son was Heber, from whom they
originally called the Jews Hebrews. 18 Heber begat Joetan and Phaleg: he
was called Phaleg, because he was born at the dispersion of the nations
to their several countries; for Phaleg among the Hebrews signifies
division. Now Joctan, one of the sons of Heber, had these sons, Elmodad,
Saleph, Asermoth, Jera, Adoram, Aizel, Decla, Ebal, Abimael, Sabeus,
Ophir, Euilat, and Jobab. These inhabited from Cophen, an Indian river,
and in part of Asia adjoining to it. And this shall suffice concerning
the sons of Shem.

5. I will now treat of the Hebrews. The son of Phaleg, whose father Was
Heber, was Ragau; whose son was Serug, to whom was born Nahor; his son
was Terah, who was the father of Abraham, who accordingly was the tenth
from Noah, and was born in the two hundred and ninety-second year after
the deluge; for Terah begat Abram in his seventieth year. Nahor begat
Haran when he was one hundred and twenty years old; Nahor was born to
Serug in his hundred and thirty-second year; Ragau had Serug at one
hundred and thirty; at the same age also Phaleg had Ragau; Heber begat
Phaleg in his hundred and thirty-fourth year; he himself being begotten
by Sala when he was a hundred and thirty years old, whom Arphaxad had
for his son at the hundred and thirty-fifth year of his age. Arphaxad
was the son of Shem, and born twelve years after the deluge. Now Abram
had two brethren, Nahor and Haran: of these Haran left a son, Lot; as
also Sarai and Milcha his daughters; and died among the Chaldeans, in a
city of the Chaldeans, called Ur; and his monument is shown to this day.
These married their nieces. Nabor married Milcha, and Abram married
Sarai. Now Terah hating Chaldea, on account of his mourning for Ilaran,
they all removed to Haran of Mesopotamia, where Terah died, and was
buried, when he had lived to be two hundred and five years old; for the
life of man was already, by degrees, diminished, and became shorter than
before, till the birth of Moses; after whom the term of human life was
one hundred and twenty years, God determining it to the length that
Moses happened to live. Now Nahor had eight sons by Milcha; Uz and Buz,
Kemuel, Chesed, Azau, Pheldas, Jadelph, and Bethuel. These were all the
genuine sons of Nahor; for Teba, and Gaam, and Tachas, and Maaca, were
born of Reuma his concubine: but Bethuel had a daughter, Rebecca, and a
son, Laban.