ASHKENAZ

(Ashʹke·naz).

The first named of three sons of Gomer, the son of Japheth.—Gen. 10:3; 1 Chron. 1:6.

Jeremiah 51:27 mentions a kingdom of Ashkenaz as allying itself with the kingdoms of Ararat and Minni against Babylon at the time of her downfall (539 B.C.E.). Since Ararat is believed to have been located in the region of Lake Van in Armenia and Minni (referred to as Mannai in Assyrian inscriptions) is considered to have been SE of Lake Van, it is likely that the kingdom of Ashkenaz lay near these regions, probably somewhat to the N in the area between the Black and Caspian Seas.

The name Ashkenaz is considered by archaeologists as equivalent to the Assyrian Ashguza, which term was evidently applied to the ancient Scythians of the Black Sea and Caspian Sea area. Cuneiform tablets record an alliance between this tribe and the Mannai (Minni) in a revolt against Assyria in the seventh century B.C.E.

In Jewish writings of medieval times (and even thereafter) the term Ashkenaz was applied to the Teutonic race, and more specifically to Germany. Thus, even today Jews from Germanic countries are referred to as Ashkenazim in contrast to the Sephardim, Jews from Spain and Portugal.