Ashkenaz

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Ashkenaz (Hebrew: אשׁכּנז, ‘Ashkenaz) was the eldest son of Gomer and brother of Riphath and Togarmah listed in Genesis 10:3 and 1 Chronicles 1:6.

His descendants settled originally in what is now Armenia. Other early sources confirm their place of settlement in what was later to become Pontus and Bythinia, where the peoples of Ashkenaz gave their name to the lake and harbour of Ascenius, and to the district of Ascenia. Somewhat more tentatively, perhaps, they are also said to have give their name to the Axenus or Euxine Sea (the modern Black Sea), on whose shores they first settled. Josephus tells us they were subsequently known to the Greeks as the Rheginians.

The mountains south of the Caspian Sea, separating the Bactrians from the Saki was known as the Ascanimian Mountains. Strabo calls the people saki, who invaded Bactria.[1] These were a nation of Scyths. Several nations were known as Scythians; at least one was European in race (these later migrated into central Europe, and were not descendants of Ashkenaz), and at least two Asiatic races.[2] In fact many of the Scythians which came against Assyria were Mongoloid.[3]

A drink of these Scythians was translated by Herodotus into Greek aschy or Asky.[4] Where did some of these Scythians finally migrate to? Yamauchi, discussing frozen tombs, says they were

“ ... located in the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia, just north of the western most boundary of the Republic ... the tombs contained skeletons of Mongoloids, they ... reveal a culture closely related to the Scythians.[5] ”

The Shamanist peoples of Siberia still practice the same rites of healing, divination and death as the Scythians did.[6] And the Turkmenian nomads on the northern border of Afghanistan perpetuate the exact way of life which a branch of these Scythians led.[7] (In Afghanistan we find the Ashkun River.) There is some confusion in the ranks of the historians and anthropologists. Some feel that the south-east Asians came through India, while others feel that they came from Central Asia. Ferrand feels that they originate in Central Asia (Scythian country), while Callenfels goes so far as to specify the Altai Mountains bordering Russia, China, and Mongolia. They were apparently driven out by the Chinese into the valleys of the Iravathy, Meenam, Mekong and Salveen Rivers. Bishop wrote that the Mon-Khmer stock originated in Central Asia and that the Tibeto-Burman group had

“ ancient times extended over much of north-western China, and remnants of them still exist.[8] ”

The Burmese specifically are classified as part of the Tibeto-Burman group which also incorporates peoples scattered in south-west China, Assam, Nepal and parts of northern India. Their language is most closely related to the Lo-lo or Yi of southern China and those of the ancient His-hsia kingdom which ruled Kanus and parts of Mongolia. It is here, to the north-west of China, that historians and linguists have been able to trace the origin of the Burmese, utilizing historical records and inscriptional remains of their language in their former lands.

Schmidt, however, connects them with the Munda and Khasi of eastern India, basing his assumptions on various philological resemblances. Thus he places their homeland in north-east India.[9] It would appear that some Ashkenazic Scythians with certain Austronesian blacks may have migrated across Northern India and into Southern Asia. Others, possibly the majority, came through central Asia. All we know is that the Khmers' culture is from India; the Tibeto-Burmese group came out of China; and the Thais' origin is obscure.

The Tibeto-Burmese group were originally in Central Asia, for it has been discovered, amongst other things, that their gods appear to be of central Asian and Scythian origin.[10] Of the Scythian hordes which invaded north-west India, perhaps the Achakzai Pathan of northern Baluchistan are partly derived from them. After descending from southern China into south-east Asia certain dark-brown Mongoloid tribes stayed behind.[11] One such tribe today in southern China is the Black Lolo or Lulu. Researcher Buxton believes that they came through Turkestan (Scythian country) into China.[12] Anciently, in the Middle East, just north-east of the Zagros Mountains in Iran, dwelt a tribe called Lullu or Lullubi which may have been Mongoloids. Huxley writes that the Chinese Lulu have curiously alwyas had horses like the Iranians[13] unlike the surrounding peoples. We should also note here that a few of these southern Chinese/south-east Asian strain are in Japan[14] (For further information refer to Tarshish). Note the following:

“ The Japanese, according to their tradition, were led to their isles by a symbolic three-legged sun-crow [type of swastika sun-symbol]. In Pamphylia and Lycia, in Scythian dominated Asia Minor, coins have been found which bear the rare figures of three-leggedb birds in various forms. ”

Some descendants of Ashkenaz may be found today in Japan. The name of these Scythians may be preserved in Japan in the following names:

  • Sakai (near Osaka)
  • Saeki
  • Sakaiminato
  • Sakata
  • Sakishima (Gunto Island)
  • Sakurai.

In Russia, the following names may also preserve a memory of some of the Scythian tribes:

  • Sakhalin Island (near Japan)
  • Sakmara River (in southern Urals, near Kazakhstan)
  • Sukhinichi (west of Moscow)
  • Sukhona River (east of Moscow)
  • Sukhoylog (Urals)
  • Suksun (Urals)

And in North Korea we have Sakchu. All across Asia, the name is preserved. What were the Scythians known as in Western Asia?: Ska, Caka, or Sakai.[15]

They settled for a time in south-east Asia, bringing the name Sak or Suk with them. St. Jerome and Josephus called certain branches of he Scythians Sukuthai and Herodotus called them Skythai. It was mentioned previously the Altai Mountains where experts trace the south-east Asians back to. Is it any coincidence that one nation of this region is called Thailand (land of the Thais or free)? And their earliest capital was Sukhothai (Siak)? It was known as Siam or Sien-lo formed by the junction of Sien and Lo-lo. The whole of the Malaysian peninsula was a tributary to this state in former times.

In summary, the brown Mongoloids of south-east Asia, Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam, Laos[16], Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and parts of southern China and a few of the population of Japan are descendants of Ashkenaz.

Related References

  1. ↑ Strabo 1:1:10; I:III:21; XI:VIII:4
  2. ↑ See Coon 1948:196
  3. ↑ The Cambridge Ancient History, vol 3: 195
  4. ↑ Hoeh 1969 vol 1:36
  5. ↑ Yamauchi 1982:112
  6. ↑ The World's Last Mysteries 1977: 226
  7. ↑ ibid:222
  8. ↑ Bishop 1942:7-7
  9. ↑ Kalyanaraman 1969 vol 2:170-72
  10. ↑ ibid:93
  11. ↑ Huxley 1974:159; Langer 1968:56
  12. ↑ Buxton 1925:156
  13. ↑ Huxely 1974:161
  14. ↑ Brinkley 1903:38
  15. ↑ Rapson 1914;136-37, 202
  16. ↑ It may be of interest that the Greek word for "people" is Lao and the nation of Laos means "people"!

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Brother of Riphath  +, and Togarmah  +
Son of Gomer  +
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