Heberite

Heberite (from עברית) is the term given to all Hebrew-like things, particularly peoples. It means "of or pertaining to Heber". Due to the limited conventional uses of the term Hebrew, Heberite is the term used for a much wider sense. Heberites are thought to have been a people from the Northeast-Mesopotamian Northwest-Iranian & Caucasus areas closely related to the Hurrians. Heberites, also known as Iberians, inhabited a vast teritory in the Caucasus and Anterior Asia in the third and second millennia B.C. They were first mentioned having settled in Eastern Spain and the Ebro valley in the 6thC.BC. and are still represented, despite fervantly funded political opposition to the fact, by the Basque population there whose reconstructed language shows strong affinity with Caucasian languages. They had previously infiltrated south into Canaan as far as Egypt, where they were known as Habiru or Hapiru, and Sumeria while in the Caucasus they were later known by the Greeks as the sons of noble Iberes. Some settled in Avaris aparrently lending the area its name. They also gave their name to the Khabur valley of the Northern Euphrates and may have even reached Huaguo in China being allocated the character 滑. Various terms for migrant mercenaries, animal herders and stateless wanderers in the languages of surrounding peoples may have stemmed from this nation's ethnicon. Terms possibly derived from peoples with a related ethnicon amongst later Turko-Slavonic peoples indicates these groups associated them with vulturey & the supernatural (see Upyr).

The Israelites who emmerged from the Habiru factions which entered Egypt are by far the most famous Heberites. These Heberites ultimately lost their agglutinative northeastern language in favour of the local Canaanite dialects closely related to Ugaritic. The same may be said for Heberite chieftains who infiltrated the Arabian peninsular lending their names to the various proto-Arabic speaking tribes there. While there might be conflict over Arabs calling themselves Hebrews because of the connotations that word implies, there is no problem with grouping certain Arabic tribes, Israelites and many others as Heberite.

It seems that the Habiru formed a social caste rather than an ethnic group as they were joined by peasants who had fled the increasingly oppressive economic conditions of the Assyrian & Babylonian kingdoms.

--Speculations on The Greater Heberite Community---

The Bible lists the following Heberite patriarchs from the area of Mesha at least to as far as the eastern Sephar (Subarian) mountains:

• Joktan; Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Havilah, Jobab (described in chinese name books), Ophir; Ophirites.
• Peleg; Reu; Serug; Nahor; Terah;

• Nahor;
• Haran; Lot.
• Abram; Zimran, Medan, Ishbak, Shu,

• Jokshan; Sheba, Dedan.
• Midian; Ephah, Henoch, Abida, Eldaah, Epher ; Epherites
• Ishmael; Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, Kedemah.
• Isaac; Edom, Israel; Asher; Beriah; Kheber; Kheberites

Legends that Keturah, Abraham's third wife & children returned to their Hurrian Heberite homeland and their descendants spread from there into Central Eurasia are in harmony with the fact that nations potentially preserving a Heberite ethnonym predominantly accumulate in the vicinity of the Caucasus & western Central Asia. The first speculation which might be made is concerning a people called the AparDi in Central Asia around 1300 BC, and this has brought to mind a possible connection with the foundation of Khwarezmia about the same time, connections to Heber being visible in both these names. Herodotus also makes mention of "Aparytae" in the Gandara satrapy of Persia which is consistent with Persia's relocation of Hebrew tribes to the area. Indeed many Afghan & Kashmir tribes still preserve Israelite names and it is presumably from here that they reached China to establish the Huaguo. Then we have the Iberes & the 4thC.BC Transcaucasian Iberia while Strabo (1st century) dealt with "Abar-noi" people in his work using the name "Abaris" in combination with Greek legends. Of course the Avars of Priskos should be mentioned especially considering their connection to "Hebrew" (thus perhaps originally Heberite) artefacts which subsequently, thanks to Simokattes, connects them with the Hephthalites and their legendary 1100 BC ancestor Afrasiab the king of all Turs mentioned in the Shahnameh by Ferdowsi. Strabo and the Armenian tradition that the Parthian Arsaces descended from White Huns remind us of the Parni. Finally perhaps the Avars still present in the Caucasus especially Dagestan are the remnants either of the original Transcaucasian Iberians or Khwaris who inflitraed the area from the east (Khwarezmia) or a mixture of both.

Though the proximity of these peoples hints at some possible continuity there are doubts about relations to similarly named peoples further afield. UK legends state that the Irish Heberites came from the Iberian peninsular, but were of Magogite origins. If the Basque-Iberians are of Caucasus origin then perhaps the Heber ancestor was of a Magogite maternal line as well as a Arpaxad paternal line. The story of the Iberians being refugees from Atlantis (?from Dionysius Periestis's comments on Hesperides?) can not be related to anything in Israelite Hebrew memory but the Noahite refugees from the deluge. The Avar folk legends are yet to be made known to the wider public.