Saturday, May 13, 2017

Noah's Family Tree and Nations

I thought for fun I would organize how Jewish traditions identify where the sons of Noah and their descendants settled. I will be taking information from Josephus' account here, as well as the page from the Jewish Encyclopedia here. Josephus' opinion will be in red. Rabbinical traditions will be in purple. This post will probably be updated in the future.

It's interesting to note that, while the opinions often differ wildly, there seems to be an agreeing trend: the sons of Shem went eastward, into the Middle East, Persia, and beyond; the sons of Japheth traveled westward, into Asia Minor, Greece, and beyond; and the sons of Ham traveled southward, into Arabia, Africa, and beyond.
  • Shem (His sons are not identified conclusively in rabbinical literature)
    • Elam - Persians
    • Asshur - Assyrians
    • Arpachshad - Chaldeans
      • Shelah - N/A
        • Eber - Hebrews
          • Peleg - N/A
          • Joktan - (All sons settled towards the Kabul River)
            • Almodad
            • Sheleph
            • Hazarmaveth
            • Jerah
            • Hadoram
            • Uzal
            • Diklah
            • Obal
            • Abimael
            • Sheba
            • Ophir
            • Havilah
            • Jobab
    • Lud - Lydians (Anatolia) 
    • Aram - Syrians 
      • Uz - Southern Syria 
      • Hul - Armenians 
      • Gether - Bactrians (Central Asia) 
      • Mash - Around Tigris/Euphrates Rivers 
  • Japheth
    • Gomer - Galatians / Carthage
      • Ashkenaz - Rheginians(?) / Asia(?)
      • Riphath - PaphlagoniansAdiabene (N Iraq)
      • Togarmah - Phrygians / Germanicia (S Asia Minor)
    • Magog - Scythians / Germania
    • Madai - Media / Media
    • Javan - Ionia (and all Grecians) / Macedonia (or Ephesus)
      • Elishah - Aeolians / Aeolians
      • Tarshish - Tarsus/Cilicia / Tarsus/Cilicia
      • Kittim - Cypriots / S Italy
      • Dodanim - N/A / Dardania (W Asia Minor)
    • Tubal - Georgians / Bithynia (N Asia Minor)
    • Meschech - Cappadocia / Mysia (NW Asia Minor)
    • Tiras - Thracians / Thracians
  • Ham
    • Cush - Ethiopians / Arabia
      • Seba - N/ASyene (S Egypt)
      • Havilah - N/A / India (S Egypt)
      • Sabtah - N/ALembritæ (N Sudan)
      • Raamah - N/A / Libya
        • Sheba - N/AMons Samaragdus (SE Egypt)
        • Dedan - N/AMazaces (Egypt)
      • Sabteca - N/A / E Coast of Africa
    • Mizraim - Egyptians / Egyptians
      • Ludim - N/ANomos Neut.(?)
      • Anamim - N/AMareotæ(?)
      • Lehabim - N/ANomos (N Egypt)
      • Naphtuhim - N/APentascoimen(?)
      • Pathrusim - N/A / N/A
      • Casluhim - PhilistinesPentapolis (E Libya)
      • Caphtorim - N/ACappadocia
    • Put - N/AMarmarica (E Libya)
    • Canaan - Canaanites / Canaanites