Name of Syria

The name Syria is latinized from the Greek Συρία (Suría). In toponymic typology, the term Syria is classified among choronyms (proper names of regions and countries). The origin and usage of the term has been the subject of interest, both among ancient writers and modern scholars. In early Hittite, Luwian, Cilician and Greek usage between the 9th century BC and 2nd century BC, the terms Συρία (Suría) and Ασσυρία (Assuría) were used almost interchangeably, originally specifically referring to Assyria in Upper Mesopotamia.

Etymologically, the name Syria is linked to Assyria (Akkadian Aššur), which was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization founded in modern-day northern Iraq in the 25th century BC. It expanded to include parts of Southeastern Anatolia and Northeastern Syria by the late Bronze Age and its empire eventually conquered much of Western Asia during the Iron Age, reaching Cyprus to the west, Caucasus to the north, Persia to the east, and Egypt and Arabia to the south. During the Middle Assyrian Empire (1365–1050 BC), Syria (apart from the Assyrian northeast corner) was known as Amurru ('The Land of the Amorites'). During the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911–605 BC) it was referred to as Eber Nari and Aram. These designations for modern Syria were continued by the Achaemenid Empire (539–332 BC), while Assyria remained known to the Achaemenids, Lydians and Armenians as Assyria.

Theodor Nöldeke in 1871 was the second to give philological support to the assumption that Syria and Assyria have the same etymology, following a suggestion going back to John Selden (1617). Current modern academic opinion strongly favours the connection, which has been reinforced by the discovery of 9th century BC inscriptions referring to Assyria as Syria.

Modern Syria (Arabic: الجمهورية العربية السورية, lit. 'Syrian Arab Republic', since 1961) inherits its name from the Ottoman Syria vilayet (Vilâyet-i Sûriye), established in 1865. The choice of the ancient regional name, instead of a more common Ottoman practice of naming provinces according to provincial capitals, was seen as the reflection of a growing historical consciousness among the local intellectuals at the time.

The Classical Arabic name for the region is bilād aš-ša'm (بلاد اَلشَّأم 'The land of Shem', eldest son of Noah; Standard Arabic: اَلشَّام, romanized: aš-šām, from شأم š'm 'left hand'; 'northern').