Orotalt

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

According to the 5th century BCE Greek historian

Alilat.[1]

Also known as

Arabia
.

Etymology

Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions[2] states that Orotalt is a phonetic transcription of the name of the sun god Ruḍā.

Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable[3] derives it from a corruption of Allāh ta'āla ("God Exalted"). The transcription from Allāh ta'āla to Orotalt can be explained thus: The Semitic 'l' is commonly equated with 'r' in Greek, and vice versa. For example, the word "river" is Nahr in Arabic, Nehar in Hebrew and Nahal in other Semitic languages, which was likely transcribed as Νεῖλος in Greek (as in the Nile river).

References

  1. ^ Histories III:8
  2. .
  3. ^ Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham (1890). Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (24th ed.). London, Paris and Melbourne: Cassell & Company. p. 841.