Hurrians

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An ancient people who lived in the Near East during the Bronze Age, known for their languages and influence on neighboring cultures; the group associated with early Hurrian civilization and artifacts; the inhabitants of the region called Hurri, involved in historical interactions with Mesopotamia and Anatolia
2. A Bronze Age ethnic group inhabiting areas around the Zagros Mountains, recognized for their distinctive Hurrian language and cultural contributions; known through archaeological and textual records as influential in ancient Near Eastern history; early settlers associated with the Hurrian kingdoms and polities
3. Referring to the prehistoric population from the ancient Near East distinct for their non-Semitic language and cultural practices; notable for their archaeological remains and for establishing significant political entities; recognized as a key component in the sociopolitical landscape of Bronze Age western Asia

Etymology: The people's own name for themselves may be lost to us, but the name English uses comes from the Hurrians' neighbours in Mesopotamia. The Akkadian-speaking world called them "Ḫurrum" or "Ḫurri," and this is where the modern term begins. Its Hurrian form, "Ḫu-ur-ri," is the ancient spelling written in cuneiform. Scholars Falkenstein and Kramer once thought the name might connect to a Sumerian word, "ḫurrum," meaning a mountain cave or cavern. That idea rested on a misreading: the Sumerian material was taken as naming a mountain rather than describing a general feature of the landscape, and the connection did not hold. The plural "hurrians" is simply the English plural of "Hurrian," the adjective-turned-noun for a member of this people. Its trail therefore runs from the peoples of the Zagros foothills, through the cuneiform records of Mesopotamia, into modern scholarly English.

Synonyms: ancient Hurrian people