Semites, << SEH myts, >> are peoples who speak a Semitic language, such as Arabic or Hebrew. They live mainly in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Arabian Peninsula, and North Africa. The ancient Assyrians, Babylonians, Canaanites, Eblaites, Hebrews, and Phoenicians also were Semites.
Semitic peoples gave the world the alphabet and the idea of one God. Three great religions–Judaism, Christianity, and Islam–originated among Semitic peoples.
The origin of the Semites is unknown, but some anthropologists believe these peoples may have been nomads who lived on the Arabian Peninsula. By about 3,000 B.C., the ancient Semites had moved to the lower part of Mesopotamia (now southeastern Iraq), the home of the Sumerian civilization (see Sumer ).
A Semitic ruler named Sargon founded the first Semitic empire in the 2300’s B.C. in Akkad, a city in Mesopotamia. Under Sargon’s rule, Semitic and Sumerian culture spread through Mesopotamia. At about the same time, Semitic dynasties and states emerged in Syria.
Almost 3,000 years ago, Semitic peoples established colonies in parts of Africa, Sicily, and Spain. Semitic culture was later absorbed by non-Semitic peoples who moved into those three areas.
The word anti-Semitism means hatred of Jews or prejudice against Jews. But the term is misleading because not all Jews are Semites, and Semites include not only Jews but also Arabs and other peoples.
