Aššur
/ˈɑːʃ.ʃur/noun
Aššur was the chief god of ancient Assyria and the city that served as the civilization’s religious center.
Did you know?The name Aššur referred simultaneously to a deity, a city, and the Assyrian state, making geography, identity, and divine power linguistically inseparable.
Etymological Timeline
Early 2nd Millennium BCE
Old Assyrian
Aššur
“Name of the city and its principal deity in northern Mesopotamia”
2nd–1st Millennium BCE
Akkadian
Aššur
“Chief national god of Assyria; also the name of the sacred city”
1st Millennium BCE
Neo-Assyrian
Aššur
“Divine patron of the Assyrian kings and empire”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ἀσσυρία (Assyria)
“The land or empire of the Assyrians, named from Aššur”
Latin Antiquity
Latin
Assur / Assyria
“Assur as a place-name and Assyria as the country”
Modern English
English
Aššur / Ashur / Assur
“The ancient Assyrian god and city; the name is also used in historical and archaeological writing”