The Ambiguous Name: The Limitations of Cultural Identity in Graeco-Roman Syrian Onomastics¹

This chapter examines the limitations of cultural identity in Syrian onomastics during the Graeco-Roman period. It warns against jumping to a conclusion based on modern understanding of the classification of names, or the meaning of the words embodied in them. The chapter explains that people in multilingual societies rooted in two or more cultures did not necessarily think consciously whether to choose a Greek or an indigenous name and that words were not always translated from one language to another.

This chapter examines the limitations of cultural identity in Syrian onomastics during the Graeco-Roman period. It warns against jumping to a conclusion based on modern understanding of the classification of names, or the meaning of the words embodied in them. The chapter explains that people in multilingual societies rooted in two or more cultures did not necessarily think consciously whether to choose a Greek or an indigenous name and that words were not always translated from one language to another.