Names of the Berber people: Difference between revisions
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The term ''Berber'' is but a variation of the Latin original word ''[[Barbarian]],'' earlier in history applied by Romans specifically to their northern hostile neighbors from Germania (modern Germany). The variation is a French one when spelled ''Berbere'' and English when spelled ''Berber''. The term appeared first in the 4th century in the religious conflicts between Saint Augustine, a Numidian Berber-Roman bishop of the Catholic faith, and the Donatist allies of the Barbarians, also known as ''[[Vandals]]''. The Vandals migrated from [[Iberian Peninsula|Iberia]] (modern [[Spain]] and [[Portugal]]) where they were assailed by the Gauls allied to the Romans, and settled west of the Roman city of Carthage (in modern Tunisia) in the highlands (in modern Algeria). |
The term ''Berber'' is but a variation of the Latin original word ''[[Barbarian]],'' earlier in history applied by Romans specifically to their northern hostile neighbors from Germania (modern Germany). The variation is a French one when spelled ''Berbere'' and English when spelled ''Berber''. The term appeared first in the 4th century in the religious conflicts between Saint Augustine, a Numidian Berber-Roman bishop of the Catholic faith, and the Donatist allies of the Barbarians, also known as ''[[Vandals]]''. The Vandals migrated from [[Iberian Peninsula|Iberia]] (modern [[Spain]] and [[Portugal]]) where they were assailed by the Gauls allied to the Romans, and settled west of the Roman city of Carthage (in modern Tunisia) in the highlands (in modern Algeria). |
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==Amazigh and Berber== |
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The Greek term "βάρβαρος / βάρβαροι" was originally a derogatory term for all non-Greek speakers. The nonsense syllables "bar-bar" have no meaning in Greek; the term implied that all languages other than Greek were a collection of nonsense syllables. The term has been variously translated as "stutterers," "stammerers," or "babblers." But the term did include, from the beginning, a connotation of being non-civilized or "barbaric" that later became primary in cognate terms like "barbarian." |
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Contrary to some sources, the Berbers/Imazighen (the Amazighs) were not called ''barbarians'' by the Greeks or Romans. The Berbers were known as '''Libyans''' (Λίβυες or Λίβυοι) or '''Mazyes''' (Μάζυες or Μάξυες; Mazaces in Latin) to the [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greeks]]. They were known under many other names to the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] as [[Numidian]]s, [[Mauri]] and [[Moors]]. The [[Egyptians]] called their western neighbors the '''Mashewsh'''. |
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Because the Berbers were called '''Al-Barbar''' by the [[Arab]]s, it is probable that the modern [[European languages]] and other ones adopted it from the [[Arabic language]]. The Arabs probably did not use the name ''Al-Barbar'' mainly as a negative name. The ancient [[Muslim historians|Arab historians]] were not aware of the origin of that name, they created some myths or stories about the name. The most notorious myth considers an eponymous ''Barbar'' as the ancestor of the Berbers. According to that myth, "the Berbers were the descendants of [[Ham, son of Noah|Ham]], the son of [[Noah]], the son of Barbar, the son of Tamalla, the son of Mazigh, the son of Canon" ([[Ibn Khaldun]], ''The History of Ibn Khaldun'', Chapter 3). |
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The fact that the name ''Berber'' is a strange name to the Berbers led to confusion. Some sources claim that the Berbers are several ethnic groups who are not related to each other. That is not accurate, because the Berbers refer to themselves as ''Imazighen'' throughout all of [[North Africa]] from [[Morocco]] to [[Libya]] including the [[Egypt]]ian oasis of [[Siwa]] and about half of the [[Sahara Desert]]. |
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Not only is the origin of the name ''Berber'' unclear, but also the name ''[[Amazigh]]''. The most common explanation is that the name goes back to the Egyptian period when the [[ancient Egypt]]ians mentioned an ancient Libyan tribe called ''[[Meshwesh]]''. Those Meshwesh are supposed by some scholars to be the same ancient Libyan tribe that was mentioned as ''Maxyans'' by the Greek historian [[Herodotus]]. |
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==Libyans and Numidians== |
==Libyans and Numidians== |
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Revision as of 17:02, 11 December 2010
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The term Berber is but a variation of the Latin original word Barbarian, earlier in history applied by Romans specifically to their northern hostile neighbors from Germania (modern Germany). The variation is a French one when spelled Berbere and English when spelled Berber. The term appeared first in the 4th century in the religious conflicts between Saint Augustine, a Numidian Berber-Roman bishop of the Catholic faith, and the Donatist allies of the Barbarians, also known as Vandals. The Vandals migrated from Iberia (modern Spain and Portugal) where they were assailed by the Gauls allied to the Romans, and settled west of the Roman city of Carthage (in modern Tunisia) in the highlands (in modern Algeria).
Libyans and Numidians
In the Greek period the Berbers were mainly known as Libyans and their land of Libya extended from modern Morocco to the western borders of ancient Egypt. (Modern Egypt contains the Siwa Oasis, historically part of Libya, where the Berber Siwi language is still spoken.)