Editing Aleppo (section)

==Etymology==

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=== Proto-Semitic Origins ===
The etymology of the name '''Aleppo''' (Arabic: '''Ḥalab''', حلب) is ancient and rooted in the long history of the region.

The name ''Ḥalab'' is believed to originate from a [[Semitic languages|Semitic]] root, possibly the [[Proto-Semitic language|Proto-Semitic]] root '''ḥlb''', meaning “to milk” or “milk.” This connection might have arisen due to the area’s association with pastoralism and the production of milk. Another possibility is that the name refers to the color “white,” as the root '''ḥlb''' could metaphorically describe the pale or white hue of certain local soils or materials.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The semitic languages: an international handbook |date=2011 |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |isbn=978-3-11-018613-0 |editor-last=Weninger |editor-first=Stefan |series=Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft; Handbooks of linguistics and communication science |location=Berlin ; Boston |editor-last2=Khan |editor-first2=Geoffrey |editor-last3=Streck |editor-first3=Michael P. |editor-last4=Watson |editor-first4=Janet C. E.}}</ref> Similarly, the modern-day nickname '''al-Shahbāʾ''' ({{langx|ar|الشهباء}}), meaning "the white-colored mixed with black", is said to be derived from its famed [[white marble]].<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ar:حلب الشهباء..معناها وأهميتها عند النبي العربي إبراهيم الخليل |url=http://www.hadhramautnews.net/news-4451.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706022148/http://www.hadhramautnews.net/news-4451.htm |archive-date=6 July 2018 |access-date=19 January 2019 |work=hadhramautnews.net |language=ar}}</ref>

=== Amorite Origins and Hittite Influence ===

During the [[second millennium BCE]], it became a key city of the [[Amorites|Amorite]] state, who referred to it as Ḥalab. The [[Hittites]], a contemporary [[Anatolia]]n Empire within the region, referred to the city as '''Ḥalpa''' or '''Ḥalpu''' in their inscriptions. This indicates the name was already well-established by this time.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bryce |first=Trevor |title=The kingdom of the Hittites |date=2010 |publisher=Oxford Univ. Press |isbn=978-0-19-928132-9 |edition=New. |location=Oxford}}</ref>

=== Aramaic and Akkadian Adaptations ===

In [[Aramaic]], the city retained a similar name, with forms like '''Ḥalba'''. [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] sources also refer to the city as '''Ḥalab'''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Huehnergard |first=John |title=A grammar of Akkadian / by John Huehnergard |date=2011 |publisher=Eisenbrauns |isbn=978-1-57506-941-8 |edition=3rd |series=Harvard Semitic series |location=Winona Lake, Ind}}</ref>

=== Greek and Roman Periods ===

During the [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]] and [[Roman period|Roman]] periods, Aleppo was known as '''Beroea''' ([[Veria|Βέροια]] in [[Greek language|Greek]]), a name likely assigned by the [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid]] rulers after the [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonian]] city of the same name. Despite this, the local population continued to use the original Semitic name.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gordon |first=Milton Myron |title=Assimilation in American Life: the role of race, religion, and national origins |date=1966 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-536547-4 |edition=Sixth printing |location=New York}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/aleppo.html |title=Aleppo |publisher=[[World Heritage Site]] |access-date=11 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304011949/http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/aleppo.html |archive-date=4 March 2012}}</ref>

=== Islamic Period ===

With the advent of [[Islam]] and the [[Arabization]] of the region, the name '''Ḥalab''' ([[Arabic]]: '''حلب''') remained in use, reflecting its deep historical continuity. The Arabic form also preserved its earlier meanings, with folklore often associating the name with the prophet [[Abraham]], who is said to have “milked” his livestock in the area to provide for travelers.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Muqaddasī |first1=Muḥammad Ibn-Aḥmad al- |title=The best divisions for knowledge of the regions: Ạhsan al-Taqāsīm fī Ma'rifat al-Aqālīm |last2=Collins |first2=Basil Anthony |last3=Alta'i |first3=Mohammad Hamid |last4=Muqaddasī |first4=Muḥammad Ibn-Aḥmad al- |date=2001 |publisher=Garnet |others=Centre for Muslim Contribution to Civilization |isbn=978-1-85964-136-1 |series=The great books of Islamic civilization |location=Reading}}</ref>

=== Modern-day English ===

The adoption of '''“Aleppo”''' into English likely coincided with the [[Crusades]] (11th–13th centuries) and subsequent increased trade and travel between Europe and the Middle East. By the late 14th to early 15th centuries, the term '''Aleppo''' was well-established in English literature and travel accounts.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Riley-Smith |first=Jonathan Simon Christopher |title=The crusades: a history |date=2005 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-10128-7 |edition=2nd |location=Yale}}</ref>

The earliest documented use of “Aleppo” in English occurs in translations of medieval texts and chronicles, such as the travel writings of [[Marco Polo]], where the city is mentioned as a key trading hub. Additionally, it was featured in maps and documents produced during the [[European Renaissance]] as a center of commerce on the [[Silk Road]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Polo |first1=Marco |title=The travels of Marco Polo: the complete Yule-Cordier edition; in 2 vol. Vol. 1: Containing the first volume of the 1903 edition |last2=Yule |first2=Henry |last3=Cordier |first3=Henri |date=1993 |publisher=Dover Publications |isbn=978-0-486-27586-4 |edition=[Repr. of the 3. ed.,] London 1903 |volume=1 |location=New York}}</ref>