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→‎Identity: not sure Biro's a scholar, and the source is self-published and part of a fringe nationalist website; leaving second reference in to show that there are people claiming such a connection
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{{Merge from|Subartu (Amarna letters corpus)|date=May 2011}}
{{Merge from|Subartu (Amarna letters corpus)|date=May 2011}}


The land of '''Subartu''' (Akkadian ''Šubartum/Subartum/ina Šú-ba-ri'', Assyrian ''[[KUR|mât]] Šubarri'') or '''Subar''' (Sumerian Su-bir<sub>4</sub>/Subar/Šubur) is mentioned in [[Bronze Age literature]]. The name also appears as ''Subari'' in the [[Amarna letters]], and, in the form ''Šbr'', in [[Ugarit]]. They were a people who may came to be known as the [[Hurrians]] or Subarians and their country was known as ''Subir'', ''Subartu'' or ''Shubar''.<ref name="Malati">Malati J. Shendge, ''[http://books.google.de/books?hl=en&id=ynEWVCLMQY4C The Language of the Harappans: From Akkadian to Sanskrit]'', 1997, p. 47.</ref>
The land of '''Subartu''' (Akkadian ''Šubartum/Subartum/ina Šú-ba-ri'', Assyrian ''[[KUR|mât]] Šubarri'') or '''Subar''' (Sumerian Su-bir<sub>4</sub>/Subar/Šubur) is mentioned in [[Bronze Age literature]]. The name also appears as ''Subari'' in the [[Amarna letters]], and, in the form ''Šbr'', in [[Ugarit]], and came to be known as the [[Hurrians]] or Subarians and their country was known as ''Subir'', ''Subartu'' or ''Shubar''.<ref name="Malati">Malati J. Shendge, ''[http://books.google.de/books?hl=en&id=ynEWVCLMQY4C The Language of the Harappans: From Akkadian to Sanskrit]'', 1997, p. 47.</ref>


Subartu was apparently a polity in [[Northern Mesopotamia]], at the upper [[Tigris]]. Most scholars accept ''Subartu'' as an early name for [[Assyria]] proper on the Tigris, although there are various other theories placing it sometimes a little farther to the east, north or west of there. Its precise location has not been identified.
Subartu was apparently a polity in [[Northern Mesopotamia]], at the upper [[Tigris]]. Most scholars accept ''Subartu'' as an early name for [[Assyria]] proper on the Tigris, although there are various other theories placing it sometimes a little farther to the east, north or west of there. Its precise location has not been identified.
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There are various alternate theories associating the ancient ''Subartu'' with one or more modern cultures, including [[Armenians|Armenian]],<ref>[http://books.google.de/books?hl=en&id=pHkfAQAAIAAJ BCSP, Volumes 15-16], Centro camuno di studi preistorici, 1977, [http://books.google.de/books?id=pHkfAQAAIAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=Sabir+Subartu p. 37]. quote:
There are various alternate theories associating the ancient ''Subartu'' with one or more modern cultures, including [[Armenians|Armenian]],<ref>[http://books.google.de/books?hl=en&id=pHkfAQAAIAAJ BCSP, Volumes 15-16], Centro camuno di studi preistorici, 1977, [http://books.google.de/books?id=pHkfAQAAIAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=Sabir+Subartu p. 37]. quote:
*"''According to the Armenian historians (Byzant. Faust, M. Chorene, Indsidsian, Mechitar) «A SABAR, SUBAR or SABIR people existed in Urartu, living close to the Hurrians». «Hurrian has genetic and linguistic affinities only with Urartian, the language of ancient Armenia».''"</ref><ref>[http://slovari.yandex.ru/dict/bse/article/00004/37200.htm?text=%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B0 ''Armenians'' article, Great Soviet Encyclopedia]</ref> [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]],<ref>[http://books.google.de/books?hl=en&id=FbciAAAAMAAJ Türkoloji dergisi, Volume 8], Ankara Üniversitesi Basimevi, 1979, [http://books.google.de/books?id=FbciAAAAMAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=Sabir%27ler p. 51]. quote:
*"''According to the Armenian historians (Byzant. Faust, M. Chorene, Indsidsian, Mechitar) «A SABAR, SUBAR or SABIR people existed in Urartu, living close to the Hurrians». «Hurrian has genetic and linguistic affinities only with Urartian, the language of ancient Armenia».''"</ref><ref>[http://slovari.yandex.ru/dict/bse/article/00004/37200.htm?text=%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B0 ''Armenians'' article, Great Soviet Encyclopedia]</ref> [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]],<ref name="Velidi Togan"/><ref>[http://books.google.de/books?hl=en&id=FbciAAAAMAAJ Türkoloji dergisi, Volume 8], Ankara Üniversitesi Basimevi, 1979, [http://books.google.de/books?id=FbciAAAAMAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=Sabir%27ler p. 51]. quote:
*"''Bu duruma göre, Kuzey Asya'dan Güney Mezopotamya'ya doğru göç eden ve bir kısmı da göç yollan boyunca yerleşen Türk asıllı kavimleri şöyle sıralayabiliriz: 1. Sabir'ler, Subar'lar, Subir'ler, Sibir'ler ve Sümerler.''"</ref><ref name="Velidi Togan"/> [[Hungarians|Hungarian]] (Ugric)<ref>Gyula Moravcsik (1970), ''[http://books.google.de/books?hl=en&id=uyAiAAAAMAAJ Byzantium and the Magyars]''. In:[http://books.google.de/books?hl=en&id=pHkfAQAAIAAJ BCSP, Volumes 15-16], Centro camuno di studi preistorici, 1977, [http://books.google.de/books?id=pHkfAQAAIAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=Moravcsik+1970 p. 37]. quote:
*"''Bu duruma göre, Kuzey Asya'dan Güney Mezopotamya'ya doğru göç eden ve bir kısmı da göç yollan boyunca yerleşen Türk asıllı kavimleri şöyle sıralayabiliriz: 1. Sabir'ler, Subar'lar, Subir'ler, Sibir'ler ve Sümerler.''"</ref> [[Hungarians|Hungarian]] (Ugric)<ref>Gyula Moravcsik (1970), ''[http://books.google.de/books?hl=en&id=uyAiAAAAMAAJ Byzantium and the Magyars]''. In:[http://books.google.de/books?hl=en&id=pHkfAQAAIAAJ BCSP, Volumes 15-16], Centro camuno di studi preistorici, 1977, [http://books.google.de/books?id=pHkfAQAAIAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=Moravcsik+1970 p. 37]. quote:
*"''Konstantinos Porphyrogenitos called the Hungarians «Sabartoi asphaloi» (Moravcsik, 1970). Macartney (1930) comes nearest to the truth in ascertaining that «Sabartoi» is identical with the North-Mesopotamia Subartu (Subir-ki) and Asphaloi is «only the usual Greek epitheton ornans» (Badinv, 1974, pp. 68-69; pp. 72-73). C Gostony (1975, pp. 58-111) tees in the ward «asphaloi» the Sumerian usbar, a composition of us (blood) and bar (body, skin), meaning: relative, descendant on matrilineal line.''"</ref><ref name="Bíró József">Bíró József, ''[http://www.magtudin.org/Biro_Jozsef_A_sumirok_tanitomesterei.pdf A Szabir-Magyarok: A "Sumirok" tanítómesterei]'', A szerzö Kiadása, Budapest 2002.</ref> or [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] tribes. Some scholars, such as Harvard Professor [[Mehrdad Izady]], claim to have identified Subartu with the current [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] tribe of [[Zibari]]s inhabiting the northern ring around Mosul up to [[Hakkari]] in Turkey.<ref>{{Cite journal | url = http://books.google.com/?id=I9mr6OgLjBoC&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=zibari+izady#v=onepage&q&f=false | title = The Kurds: A concise handbook | isbn = 978-0-8448-1727-9 | author1 = Izady | first1 = Mehrdad R | year = 1992}}. quote from [http://books.google.de/books?id=wcUQAAAAQBAJ&q=Zibari#v=snippet&q=Zibari&f=false page 74]:
*"''Konstantinos Porphyrogenitos called the Hungarians «Sabartoi asphaloi» (Moravcsik, 1970). Macartney (1930) comes nearest to the truth in ascertaining that «Sabartoi» is identical with the North-Mesopotamia Subartu (Subir-ki) and Asphaloi is «only the usual Greek epitheton ornans» (Badinv, 1974, pp. 68-69; pp. 72-73). C Gostony (1975, pp. 58-111) tees in the ward «asphaloi» the Sumerian usbar, a composition of us (blood) and bar (body, skin), meaning: relative, descendant on matrilineal line.''"</ref><ref name="Bíró József">Bíró József, ''[http://www.magtudin.org/Biro_Jozsef_A_sumirok_tanitomesterei.pdf A Szabir-Magyarok: A "Sumirok" tanítómesterei]'', A szerzö Kiadása, Budapest 2002.</ref> or [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] tribes. Some scholars, such as Harvard Professor [[Mehrdad Izady]], claim to have identified Subartu with the current [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] tribe of [[Zibari]]s inhabiting the northern ring around Mosul up to [[Hakkari]] in Turkey.<ref>{{Cite journal | url = http://books.google.com/?id=I9mr6OgLjBoC&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=zibari+izady#v=onepage&q&f=false | title = The Kurds: A concise handbook | isbn = 978-0-8448-1727-9 | author1 = Izady | first1 = Mehrdad R | year = 1992}}. quote from [http://books.google.de/books?id=wcUQAAAAQBAJ&q=Zibari#v=snippet&q=Zibari&f=false page 74]:
*"''There are considerable number of clans, tribes, and tribal confederations in Kurdistan today, each with its own defined territory. Many of these tribes have been in existence - with the same names - for several thousand years. The modern Zibari tribe, for example, is mentioned as the Saubaru/Sibaru by Sumerian and Akkadian sources. Variations of the tribal names... appear in the Greco-Roman, Aramaic, Middle Persian, and Armenian records.''"</ref>
*"''There are considerable number of clans, tribes, and tribal confederations in Kurdistan today, each with its own defined territory. Many of these tribes have been in existence - with the same names - for several thousand years. The modern Zibari tribe, for example, is mentioned as the Saubaru/Sibaru by Sumerian and Akkadian sources. Variations of the tribal names... appear in the Greco-Roman, Aramaic, Middle Persian, and Armenian records.''"</ref>


Ariel Golan list further possible etymologies for the ethnonym "Subar":<ref>Ariel Golan, ''[http://books.google.de/books?hl=en&id=FBPM0_fQ19IC Myth and symbol: symbolism in prehistoric religions]'', 1991, p. 133.</ref>
Ariel Golan lists further possible etymologies for the ethnonym "Subar":<ref>Ariel Golan, ''[http://books.google.de/books?hl=en&id=FBPM0_fQ19IC Myth and symbol: symbolism in prehistoric religions]'', 1991, p. 133.</ref>
#The [[Slavic]] ''се́вер'' (''séver''), meaning 'north' and ''зубр'' (''zubr'') for 'aurochs'.
#The [[Slavic]] ''се́вер'' (''séver''), meaning 'north' and ''зубр'' (''zubr'') for 'aurochs'.
#The [[Arabic]] ''Sevir'' for 'bull'.
#The [[Arabic]] ''Sevir'' for 'bull'.

Revision as of 11:41, 30 April 2014

The land of Subartu (Akkadian Šubartum/Subartum/ina Šú-ba-ri, Assyrian mât Šubarri) or Subar (Sumerian Su-bir4/Subar/Šubur) is mentioned in Bronze Age literature. The name also appears as Subari in the Amarna letters, and, in the form Šbr, in Ugarit, and came to be known as the Hurrians or Subarians and their country was known as Subir, Subartu or Shubar.[1]

Subartu was apparently a polity in Northern Mesopotamia, at the upper Tigris. Most scholars accept Subartu as an early name for Assyria proper on the Tigris, although there are various other theories placing it sometimes a little farther to the east, north or west of there. Its precise location has not been identified. From the point of view of the Akkadian Empire, Subartu marked the northern geographical horizon, just as Martu, Elam and Sumer marked "west", "east" and "south", respectively.

History

The Sumerian mythological epic Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta lists the countries where the "languages are confused" as Subartu, Hamazi, Sumer, Uri-ki (Akkad), and the Martu land (the Amorites). Similarly, the earliest references to the "four quarters" by the kings of Akkad name Subartu as one of these quarters around Akkad, along with Martu, Elam, and Sumer. Subartu in the earliest texts seem to have been farming mountain dwellers, frequently raided for slaves.

Eannatum of Lagash was said to have smitten Subartu or Shubur, and it was listed as a province of the empire of Lugal-Anne-Mundu; in a later era Sargon of Akkad campaigned against Subar, and his grandson Naram-Sin listed Subar along with Armani (Armenians), -which has been identified with Aleppo-,[2] among the lands under his control. Ishbi-Erra of Isin and Hammurabi also claimed victories over Subar.

Three of the 14th century BC Amarna letters, Akkadian cuneiform correspondence found in Egypt, mention Subari as a toponym. All are addressed to Akenaten; in two (EA 108 and 109), Rib-Hadda, king of Byblos, complains that Abdi-Ashirta, ruler of Amurru, had sold captives to Subari, while another (EA 100), from the city of Irqata, also alludes to having transferred captured goods to Subari.

There is also a mention of "Subartu" in the 8th century BC Poem of Erra (IV, 132), along with other lands that have harassed Babylonia.[3] In Neo-Babylonian times (under Nabopolassar, Nebuchadrezzar II and Nabonidus), Subartu was used as a generic term for Assyria. The term was still current under Cambyses II, who mentions Subarian captives.

Identity

Subartu may have been in the general sphere of influence of the Hurrians.[4] A connection with the pre-medieval Turkic Sabir people has been proposed by a number of scholars such as Igor M. Diakonoff,[5] F Halûk Tarcan,[6] and Zeki V. Togan.[7] Some scholars also identify them with the Turkic Suars.[8]

Zeki V. Togan explains the word "Subar" as a Turkic name composed of two word stems Sub ('water') and er ('man, people, tribesman'), which means 'water people' or 'river people',[7] cf. Old Turk. śub, sub, suv "water"[9][10] and Old Turk. er "man, tribesman, soldier".[11][12]

There are various alternate theories associating the ancient Subartu with one or more modern cultures, including Armenian,[13][14] Turkic,[7][15] Hungarian (Ugric)[16][17] or Kurdish tribes. Some scholars, such as Harvard Professor Mehrdad Izady, claim to have identified Subartu with the current Kurdish tribe of Zibaris inhabiting the northern ring around Mosul up to Hakkari in Turkey.[18]

Ariel Golan lists further possible etymologies for the ethnonym "Subar":[19]

  1. The Slavic се́вер (séver), meaning 'north' and зубр (zubr) for 'aurochs'.
  2. The Arabic Sevir for 'bull'.
  3. The Mongolian words sebr, subr, chobr for 'wolf'.
  4. The Buryat Siber, name of a fabolous water-dwelling monster dog. Ariel Golan compares it with the Sumerian Nin-Subur (The Great Subur), one of the names of the Sumerian underworld god.
  5. Sabir was a Siberian people who, apparently, worshiped a deity bearing this name.
  6. The Greek ethnonym "Sparta" and the Thracian personal name "Spartak" apparently also formed from the root p.r (< *b.r) with the prefix s-.

A. Golan connects the words Sumer and Subartu with the ethnonyms of the Slavic Severian tribe and the Turkic Savir tribe.

Amongst the names of peoples mentioned in the Sanskrit epic of ancient India Mahābhārata, there occurs a name Sauvīra secondary nominal derivative of *Suvīra whch may be Subīra with a v < b correspondence.[1]

See also

Literature

  • Arthur Ungnad, Die ältesten Völkerwanderungen Vorderasiens. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte und Kultur der Semiten, Arier, Hethiter und Subaräer. Kulturfragen 1, 1923, 4-8.
  • Arthur Ungnad, Subartu, Beiträge zur Kulturgeschichte und Völkerkunde Vorderasiens (Berlin/Leipzig 1936).
  • Moran, William L. The Amarna Letters. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987, 1992. (softcover, ISBN 0-8018-6715-0)
  • Wuerthrich, Bernice (19 May 2000). "Peering Into the Past, With Words". Science. 288 (5469): 1158. doi:10.1126/science.288.5469.1158.

References

  1. ^ a b Malati J. Shendge, The Language of the Harappans: From Akkadian to Sanskrit, 1997, p. 47.
  2. ^ Wayne Horowitz, Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography, Eisenbrauns 1998, ISBN 0-931464-99-4
  3. ^ BOTTERO Jean, KRAMER Samuel Noah, Lorsque les dieux faisaient l'homme, Gallimard, Paris, 1989, p.704.
  4. ^ Finkelstein J.J. (1955), "Subartu and Subarians in Old Babylonian Sources" (Journal of Cuneiform Studies, Vol 9, No.1)
  5. ^ Igor Mikhailovich Diakonoff (1971), Вавилон легендарный и Вавилон исторический [Babylon legends and history of Babylon]. In:BCSP, Volumes 15-16, Centro camuno di studi preistorici, 1977, p. 37. quote:
    • "The Subarians expanding to the north, reached Siberia which received its name from the Sabir people (Diakonoff, 1971) like the city in western Hungary;..."
  6. ^ Halûk Tarcan, Ön-Türk tarihi, Kaynak Yayınları, 1998, p. 60. quote:
    • ""Isub-Ura"nın, gene binlerce yıl sonra, Subar-Sabir şekillerine dönüştüğünü sanmaktayız."
    Turkish World Research Foundation, Tarih: Türk dünyası tarih ve kültür dergisi, Issues 157-168, p. 49.
  7. ^ a b c A. Z. Velidi Togan, Umumi Türk tarihine giriş: En eski devirlerden 16. Asra Kadar, Enderun, 1946, pp. 40, 143, 163. quote from pages 143 and 163:
    • "Muhtelif istikamette yayılan bir Türk urugunun da Subar (Suar, Sabir)lar olduğunu yukarıda anlatmıştım. [...]. Milâdın 305 yılında Sabir Türkleri, Kafkasya'nın şimalinden cenubuna geçtiler. Bunlar, eski dünyanın muhtelif taraflarında izleri görülen Subar (Sub + er) ve bu ismin muhtelif telâffuz şekillerine göre adlanan Türk boyunun Hazar'lara karışarak yaşıyan bir kısmıdır;... ."
  8. ^ Mehmet Bilgin, Karadeniz'de postmodern pontusculuk, 2008, pp. 215, 222.
  9. ^ Starostin, Sergei; Dybo, Vladimir; Mudrak, Oleg (2003). ""*sɨb"". Etymological Dictionary of the Altaic Languages. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Academic Publishers. {{cite book}}: External link in |contribution= (help)
  10. ^ “su” in Nişanyan Dictionary
  11. ^ Starostin, Sergei; Dybo, Vladimir; Mudrak, Oleg (2003). ""*ēr"". Etymological Dictionary of the Altaic Languages. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Academic Publishers. {{cite book}}: External link in |contribution= (help)
  12. ^ “er” in Nişanyan Dictionary
  13. ^ BCSP, Volumes 15-16, Centro camuno di studi preistorici, 1977, p. 37. quote:
    • "According to the Armenian historians (Byzant. Faust, M. Chorene, Indsidsian, Mechitar) «A SABAR, SUBAR or SABIR people existed in Urartu, living close to the Hurrians». «Hurrian has genetic and linguistic affinities only with Urartian, the language of ancient Armenia»."
  14. ^ Armenians article, Great Soviet Encyclopedia
  15. ^ Türkoloji dergisi, Volume 8, Ankara Üniversitesi Basimevi, 1979, p. 51. quote:
    • "Bu duruma göre, Kuzey Asya'dan Güney Mezopotamya'ya doğru göç eden ve bir kısmı da göç yollan boyunca yerleşen Türk asıllı kavimleri şöyle sıralayabiliriz: 1. Sabir'ler, Subar'lar, Subir'ler, Sibir'ler ve Sümerler."
  16. ^ Gyula Moravcsik (1970), Byzantium and the Magyars. In:BCSP, Volumes 15-16, Centro camuno di studi preistorici, 1977, p. 37. quote:
    • "Konstantinos Porphyrogenitos called the Hungarians «Sabartoi asphaloi» (Moravcsik, 1970). Macartney (1930) comes nearest to the truth in ascertaining that «Sabartoi» is identical with the North-Mesopotamia Subartu (Subir-ki) and Asphaloi is «only the usual Greek epitheton ornans» (Badinv, 1974, pp. 68-69; pp. 72-73). C Gostony (1975, pp. 58-111) tees in the ward «asphaloi» the Sumerian usbar, a composition of us (blood) and bar (body, skin), meaning: relative, descendant on matrilineal line."
  17. ^ Bíró József, A Szabir-Magyarok: A "Sumirok" tanítómesterei, A szerzö Kiadása, Budapest 2002.
  18. ^ Izady, Mehrdad R (1992). "The Kurds: A concise handbook". ISBN 978-0-8448-1727-9. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help). quote from page 74:
    • "There are considerable number of clans, tribes, and tribal confederations in Kurdistan today, each with its own defined territory. Many of these tribes have been in existence - with the same names - for several thousand years. The modern Zibari tribe, for example, is mentioned as the Saubaru/Sibaru by Sumerian and Akkadian sources. Variations of the tribal names... appear in the Greco-Roman, Aramaic, Middle Persian, and Armenian records."
  19. ^ Ariel Golan, Myth and symbol: symbolism in prehistoric religions, 1991, p. 133.

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