Thargamos and his sons.
The order of the figures from left to right is: Movakan, Bardos, Kartlos, Haos, Lekos, Thargamos, Caucas, Egros. An opening folio of the Georgian Chronicles (Vakhtangiseuli redaction), 1700s.

Togarmah (Hebrew: תּוגרמה/Togarmah ; Armenian: Թորգոմ/T’orgom ; Georgian: თარგამოს/T’argamos) third son of Gomer, and grandson of Japheth, brother of Ashkenaz and Riphat (Genesis 10:3). He is held to be either the ancestor of the peoples of the South Caucasus (the Georgians and the Armenians) or the Turkic peoples.

[edit] Togarmah's descendants

[edit] Caucasian/Armenian theory

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2008)

Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37 – c. 100 AD), Roman Catholic priest Jerome (c. 347 – 420 AD) and Isidore of Seville (c. 560 – 636 AD) regarded Togarmah as the father of the Phrygians.

Saint Hippolytus (c. 170-c. 236 AD), the Father of the Church History Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 263 – c. 339 AD), and the Christian bishop Theodoret (c. 393 – c. 457 AD) regarded him as a father of Armenians.

Both Armenian Moses of Chorene and Georgian Leonti Mroveli regarded Togarmah as the founder of their nations along with other Caucasian people.

In native Armenian language, Armenians still call themselves "Hayer" and their county "Hayastan" (the land of Hayk) after their founder Haik who was son of Togarmah according to the both above mentioned Georgian and Armenian historians. This is true for Georgia (Kartlos/Sakartvelo) and other Peoples of the Caucasus like Kakheti (after Kakhos- son of Kartlos) or Leketi (after Lekos son of Togarmah) according to Leonti Mroveli.

Other names were either changed or replaced by Greek, French or English descriptions, but the native language and self-designation in Caucasus preserve some historical facts and figures reflecting the recorded history of Georgian and Armenian people.

According to The Georgian Chronicles and The History of Armenia Togarmah lived in Babylon who received the land between two Seas (Black Sea and Caspian Sea) and two Mountains (Mount Elbrus and Mount Ararat) in his possession when people started division of lands and migration in different parts of the world. He then settled near Mount Ararat and divided his land among his sons: ^{[1] [2]}

1. Haik (Հայք) - first son of Togarmah, inherited Mount Ararat and founded the Armenian nation.
2. Kartlos (ქართლოსი) - settled in north-east from Ararat, founder of Kartli (Sa'kartvelo) who united other brothers and founded the Georgian nation.
3. Bardos
4. Movakos (Movkans)
5. Lekos (Lek) - settled in Caucasus Mountains
6. Heros (Herans)- settled in the eastern part of Ararat
7. Caucas (Kovkases) - settled beyond the Caucasus Range
8. Egros (Egers) - settled between the Black Sea and Likhi Range. (western Georgia)

[edit] Turkic Theory

According to other records, Togarmah is regarded as the ancestor of the Turkic peoples. For example, The French Benedictine monk and scholar Calmet (1672-1757) places Togarmah in Scythia and Turcomania (in the Eurasian Steppes and Central Asia).^[3] Also in his letters, King Joseph ben Aaron, the ruler of the Khazars, writes:

"You ask us also in your epistle: "Of what people, of what family, and of what tribe are you?" Know that we are descended from Japhet, through his son Togarmah. I have found in the genealogical books of my ancestors that Togarmah had ten sons. These are their names: the eldest was Ujur (Agiôr - Uyghur), the second Tauris (Tirôsz - Tauri), the third Avar (Avôr - Avar), the fourth Uauz (Ugin - Oghuz), the fifth Bizal (Bizel - Pecheneg), the sixth Tarna, the seventh Khazar (Khazar), the eighth Janur (Zagur), the ninth Bulgar (Balgôr - Bulgar), the tenth Sawir (Szavvir/Szabir - Sabir)."^[4]

In Jewish sources too Togarmah is listed as the father of the Turkic peoples: The medieval Jewish scholar: Joseph ben Gorion lists in his Josippon the ten sons of Togarma thusly:

1. Kozar (the Khazars)
2. Pacinak (the Pechenegs)
3. Aliqanosz (the Alans)
4. Bulgar (the Bulgars)
5. Ragbiga (Ragbina, Ranbona)
6. Turqi (possibly the Kökturks)
7. Buz (the Oghuz)
8. Zabuk
9. Ungari (either the Hungarians or the Oghurs/Onogurs)
10. Tilmac (Tilmic)."

In the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, they are listed as:

1. Cuzar (the Khazars)
2. Pasinaq (the Pechenegs)
3. Alan (the Alans)
4. Bulgar (the Bulgars)
5. Kanbinah
6. Turq (possibly the Kökturks)
7. Buz (the Oghuz)
8. Zakhukh
9. Ugar (either the Hungarians or the Oghurs/Onogurs)
10. Tulmes

Another medieval rabbinic work, the Book of Jasher, further corrupts these same names into:

1. Buzar (the Khazars)
2. Parzunac (the Pechenegs)
3. Balgar (the Bulgars)
4. Elicanum (the Alans)
5. Ragbib
6. Tarki (the Kökturks)
7. Bid (the Oghuz)
8. Zebuc
9. Ongal (Hungarians or Oghurs/Onogurs)
10. Tilmaz.

In Arabic records, Togorma's tribes are these:

1. Khazar
2. Badsanag
3. Asz-alân
4. Bulghar
5. Zabub
6. Fitrakh (Kotrakh?) (can be divided like Ko-etrakh. etrakh means turks, sounds like gokturks)
7. Nabir
8. Andsar (Ajhar)
9. Talmisz
10. Adzîgher.

The Arabic account however, also adds an 11th clan: Anszuh.

Yet another tradition of the sons of Togarmah appears in Pseudo-Philo, where their names are said to be "Abiud, Saphath, Asapli, and Zepthir". The Chronicles of Jerahmeel, in addition to giving the above names from Yosippon, elsewhere lists Togarmah's sons similarly as "Abihud, Shafat, and Yaftir".

[edit] Biblical Mention

Togarmah is mentioned as being a Nation from the Far North in the Bible. Bible NCV Ezk 38:6 - "There will also be Gomer with all its troops and the nation of Togarmah from the far north with all its troops-mant nations with you."

In Ezekiel 27:14 Togarmah is mentioned after Tubal, Javan and Mesech as supplying horses and mules to the Tyrians, and in Ezekiel 38:6 it is said to have supplied soldiers to the army of Gog (Gyges of Lydia).

[edit] References

Jon Ruthven. The Prophecy That Is Shaping History: New Research on Ezekiel's Vision of the End. Fairfax, VA: Xulon Press, 2003.[1]. A major study on the historical geography of Togarmah, Rosh, Meshech, Tubal and the other northern nations listed in Ezekiel 38-39 and elsewhere.