TOPOGRAPHY, RACES, RELIGIONS, LANGUAGES AND CUSTOMS. 57 



became acquainted witli the country between Asia Minor 

 and Egypt found the people of Tyre (Tzur) predominant 

 there, and from them called the country in which they dwelt 

 Syria (for Tsyria, which was beyond their powers of articu- 

 lation). Afterwards, when they heard of the Assyrians, they 

 supposed the name to be the same, though it had really a 

 very different sound and origin. Hence the use of the term 

 ^vpLT]j€vo<; by the Delphic oracle (vii, 140), and of 'Evpiov 

 by ^schylus (Pers. 86), where 'Assyrian' is plainly 

 intended. Herodotus seems to have been the first writer 

 who took notice of the fact that the great people of upper 

 Mesopotamia called themselves not SyrianS; but Assyrians. 

 The confusion, however, continued after his time. Xeno- 

 phon, though sometimes drawing the distinction, which 

 Herodotus practically makes, between the two terms (see 

 note on Book i, ch. 6), as for instance in the Cyropcedia 

 (i, 1, 4, and 1, 2), yet in many places carelessly uses ' Syrian ' 

 for 'Assyrian' {Cyrop., v, iv, 5, 1 ; vi, 11, 19; viii, 20, &c.). 

 8cylax, on the other hand, calls the Cappadocians 'Assyrians' 

 (p. 80), an epithet to which they could not possibly be en- 

 titled ; yet in this he is followed by Dionysius Periegetis 

 (i, 772), Arrian (Ft. 48), and others. 'Syrian' again is 

 used for 'Assyrian ' by the Latin writers, Pliny (H. N. v. 12), 

 Mela (i, 11), &c. 



" The difference between the two words will be seen most 

 plainly by reference to the original languages. The root ot 

 'Syrian 'is in Hebrew "^12^ (Tzm-), the root of 'Assyria' is 

 "Tlt2?b^ (Asshur). A still greater distinction is found in the 

 Assyrian inscriptions, where Assyria is called Assur, but the 

 Tyrians are styled Tsur-ra-ya, the characters used being 

 entirely different. With respect to original meaning, Tzur 

 seems to be rightly explained as so called from the rock 

 (T1!^) on which the town was built ; Asshur is perhaps to be 

 connected with "^^l^i^, ' happiness,' at any rate it can have no 

 connection with tzur." 



It. is quite incomprehensible to me how Professor Rawlin- 

 son could force the word Syria out of " Tyrian " or Tzur. 

 In all the Semitic languages Tyre is called "T)2J (with 

 the guttural S or Ssadee), and in the Greek and other 

 European languages it has been called Tyre or Tyrus. 

 In the Septuagint version of the Old Testament there is a 

 marked distinction between the words Tyre and Syrian. 

 While the former is called rvpov or Tvpiov, Tyrian, the latter 

 is invariably written Xvpiav, Syrian, which is a corrupt 



