The term 'barbarian' originates from the Greek word βάρβαρος (barbaros). Hence the Greek idiom "πᾶς μὴ Ἕλλην βάρβαρος" (pas mē Hellēn barbaros) which literally means "whoever is not Greek is a barbarian". The Ancient Greek word βάρβαρος (barbaros), "barbarian", was an antonym for πολίτης (politēs), "citizen" (from πόλις - polis, "city-state"). The sound ofbarbaros onomatopoetically evokes the image of babbling (a person speaking a non-Greek language)(Pagden, Anthony (1986). "The image of the barbarian. The fall of natural man: the American Indian and the origins of comparative ethnology. Cambridge University Press.) The earliest attested form of the word is theMycenaean Greek pa-pa-ro, written in Linear B syllabic script. (Johannes Kramer, Die Sprachbezeichnungen 'Latinus' und 'Romanus' im Lateinischen und Romanischen, Erich Schmidt Verlag, 1998, p.86). In Homer's works, the term appeared only once (Iliad 2.867), in the form βαρβαρόφωνος (barbarophonos) ("of incomprehensible speech"). The verb βαρβαρίζειν (barbarízein) in ancient Greek meant imitating the linguistic sounds non-Greeks made or making grammatical errors in Greek. बर्बर mfn. (also written वर्वर) stammering (Monier-Williams, p. 722)म्लेच्छ any person who does not speak Sanskrit and does not conform to the usual Hindu institutions, ignorance of Sanskrit , barbarism (Monier-Williams, p. 837) Thus, in the Indian tradition, a barbara may be a mleccha, that is, a Meluhha speaker. The two Meluhha's mentioned in ancient cuneiform texts of 3rd millennium and 1st millennium, respectively, may refer to mleccha speakers (India) and to Barbara speakers (North Africa).
See a review of seven works in: Reflections on the history and archaeology of Bahrain (1985) by
Dilmun appears first in Sumerian cuneiform clay tablets dated to the end of fourth millennium BC, found in the temple of goddess Inanna, in the city of Uruk. The adjective Dilmunis used to describe a type of axe and one specific official; in addition there are lists of rations of wool issued to people connected with Dilmun. (Dilmun and Its Gulf Neighbours by Harriet E. W. Crawford, page 5.) There is both literary and archaeological evidence of extensive trade between Ancient Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley civilization (probably correctly identified with the land called Meluhha in Akkadian). Impressions of clay seals from the Indus Valley city of Harappa were evidently used to seal bundles of merchandise, as clay seal impressions with cord or sack marks on the reverse side testify. A number of these Indus Valley seals have turned up at Ur and other Mesopotamian sites. The "Persian Gulf" types of circular, stamped (rather than rolled) seals known from Dilmun, that appear at Lothal inGujarat, India, and Failaka, as well as in Mesopotamia, are convincing corroboration of the long-distance sea trade. What the commerce consisted of is less known: timber and precious woods, ivory, lapis lazuli, gold, and luxury goods such as carnelian and glazed stone beads, pearls from the Persian Gulf, shell and bone inlays, were among the goods sent to Mesopotamia in exchange for silver, tin, woolen textiles, olive oil and grains. Copper ingots from Oman and bitumen which occurred naturally in Mesopotamia may have been exchanged for cotton textiles and domestic fowl, major products of the Indus region that are not native to Mesopotamia. Instances of all of these trade goods have been found. The importance of this trade is shown by the fact that the weights and measures used at Dilmun were in fact identical to those used by the Indus, and were not those used in Southern Mesopotamia.
- "the ships of Dilmun, from the foreign land, brought him wood as a tribute" (Larsen, Curtis E. (1983). Life and Land Use on the Bahrain Islands: The Geoarchaeology of an Ancient Society. University of Chicago Press, p. 33.)
Strabo, the Greek historian, geographer and philosopher mentioned that the Phoenicians came from Bahrain where they have similar gods, cemeteries and temples. Herodotus's account (written c. 440 BC) refers to the Phoenicians originating from Bahrain. (History, I:1).
Phoenicians men their ships in service to Assyrian king Sennacherib, during his war against the Chaldeansin the Persian Gulf, ca. 700 BCE.According to the Persians best informed in history, the Phoenicians began the quarrel. These people, who had formerly dwelt on the shores of the Erythraean Sea (the eastern part of the Arabia peninsula), having migrated to the Mediterranean and settled in the parts which they now inhabit, began at once, they say, to adventure on long voyages, freighting their vessels with the wares of Egypt and Assyria...—Herodotus
"Bahrain (Arabic: البحرين, Bahreyn), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain (Arabic: مملكة البحرين) is a small island country situated near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is an archipelago of 33 islands, the largest being Bahrain Island, at 55 km (34 mi) long by 18 km (11 mi) wide. Saudi Arabia lies to the west and is connected to Bahrain by the King Fahd Causeway. Iran lies 200 km (124 mi) to the north of Bahrain, across the Gulf. The peninsula of Qatar is to the southeast across the Gulf of Bahrain.
Barbar, Bahrain, a village in the north of Bahrain. Close to this village, a temple dated to ca. 3000 BCE has been found, caleld Barbar temple. "Inhabited since ancient times, Bahrain occupies a strategic location in the Persian Gulf. It is the best natural port between the mouth of the Tigris, Euphrates Rivers and Oman, a source of copper in ancient times. Bahrain may have been associated with the Dilmun civilisation, an important Bronze Age trade centre linking Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahrain Bahrain is believed to be the site of the ancient land of the Dilmuncivilisation." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Bahrain
In Arabic, Bahrayn is the dual form of bahr ("sea"), so al-Bahrayn means "the Two Seas". It is possible that the word barbar may be related to bahr'sea', as sea-people. It is instructive that both barbara and mleccha (Meluhha) are used as languages but with ungrammatical, variant pronunciations, making them dialectical variants as lingua franca as opposed to grammatically correct, literary versions of languages. .
http://www.scribd.com/doc/221314427/Early-Dilmun-seals-from-Saar
Tews, Sophie, 2011, Seals in Dilmun Society The use and value of Bronze Age seals from Saar, Bahrain