ChatterBank12 mins ago
Red Sea
Hello, I think i know why the Red Sea, is called the Red Sea, but i`m not sure, any ideas?
castiron
castiron
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Unless a place was named after someone in particular, most places historically got their names derived from ancient descriptions of that place. The Hebrew description of a �Reed Sea� could possibly be the most plausible origin of the modern name, but it is unlikely that a mere slip of the tongue could change the name of the sea forever is it? The Hebrew name for the Dead Sea was Yam ha-Melakh - meaning "sea of salt", or sometimes Yam ha-Mavet - meaning "sea of death". Whilst both were correct, modernists preferred the term Dead Sea as no species could ever live in it (supposedly at least although some algae has been known to flourish) and besides, the term �Salt Lake� had already been pinched by the Americans! The Greeks knew the Dead Sea as "Lake Asphaltites", due to the naturally surfacing asphalt, funny that name never stuck. I strongly suspect that the Hebrew name for the Reed Sea referred specifically to the point the Israelites crossed in the Exodus (Gulf of Suez), whereas the origin of the name Red Sea is open to great speculation. Another example is the Sea of Galilee which is in�.Galilee. The biblical Hebrew name for it was Yam Kinneret "Sea of Kinnereth", some believe Kinnereth stems from the kinnor, a type of ancient stringed instrument such as a harp or lyre, because of its shape. I particularly like the idea of the Harei Edom (Sea) being linguistically passed down through the generations finally ending up in the English language as Red Sea. Presumably the Red Sea had many names before and after what we now know it to be called unfortunately one thing we cannot be entirely sure of is why.