Editing Cimmerians (section)

== Name ==
=== Etymology ===
The English name {{Transliteration|en|Cimmerians}} is derived from [[Latin]] {{lang|la|Cimmerii}}, itself derived from the [[Ancient Greek]] {{Transliteration|grc|Kimmerioi}} ({{lang|grc|[[wikt:Κιμμέριοι|Κιμμεριοι]]}}),{{sfn|Tokhtas’ev|1991}} of an ultimately uncertain origin for which there have been various proposals:
*according to [[János Harmatta]], it was derived from [[Iranian languages#Old Iranian|Old Iranic]] {{lang|xsc|*Gayamira}}, meaning "union of clans."{{sfn|Harmatta|1996}}
*{{ill|Sergey Tokhtasyev|ru|Тохтасьев, Сергей Ремирович}} and [[Igor M. Diakonoff|Igor Diakonoff]] derived it from an [[Iranian languages#Old Iranian|Old Iranic]] term {{lang|xsc|*Gāmīra}} or {{lang|xsc|*Gmīra}}, meaning "mobile unit."{{sfn|Tokhtas’ev|1991}}{{sfn|Diakonoff|1985}}
*[[Askold Ivantchik]] derives the name of the Cimmerians from an original form {{lang|mis|*Gimĕr-}} or {{lang|mis|*Gimĭr-}}, of uncertain meaning.{{sfn|Ivantchik|1993a|p=134-140}}
**Igor Diakonoff later abandoned his own etymology to support Ivantchik's proposed etymology of the name of the Cimmerians.{{sfn|Ivantchik|2001|p=321}}
**According to Ivantchik, the Greek form of the name {{lang|grc|Κιμμεριοι}} started with /k/ rather than with /g/ as in the original name due to its transmission to the Greek language through the intermediary of the [[Lydian language]], which did not distinguish between the voiced and non-voiced velar stops.{{sfn|Ivantchik|1993a|p=134-140}}

The name of the Cimmerians is attested in:
* [[Neo-Assyrian Akkadian language|Neo-Assyrian Akkadian]] as {{Transliteration|akk-x-neoassyr|Gimirrāya}} ({{lang|akk-x-neoassyr|{{cuneiform|11|𒆳𒄀𒂆𒀀𒀀}}}} and {{lang|akk-x-neoassyr|{{cuneiform|11|𒇽𒄀𒂆𒊏𒀀𒀀}}}}),{{sfn|Parpola|1970|p=132-134}}{{sfn|Olbrycht|2000a|p=93}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Gimirayu [CIMMERIAN] (EN) |url=http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/rinap/rinap4/cbd/qpn/x00000580.html |website=[[Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus]] |publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania]] }}</ref>
* [[Late Babylonian Akkadian language|Late Babylonian Akkadian]] as {{Transliteration|akk-x-latbabyl|Gimirri}} ({{lang|akk-x-latbabyl|{{cuneiform|12|𒆳𒄀𒈪𒅕}}}}<ref name="ORACCBabylonian1"/> and {{lang|akk-x-latbabyl|{{cuneiform|12|𒆳𒄀𒂆𒊑}}}}<ref name="ORACCBabylonian2"/>);<ref name="Babylonian"/>
* and [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] as [[Gomer|{{Transliteration|he|Gōmer}}]] ({{lang|he|גֹּמֶר}}).{{sfn|Phillips|1972}}{{sfn|Barnett|1975}}

=== Broader usage ===
The Late Babylonian scribes of the Achaemenid Empire used the name "Cimmerians" to designate all the nomad peoples of the steppe, including the Scythians and Saka.{{sfn|Diakonoff|1985|p=94}}{{sfn|Diakonoff|1985|p=100}}{{sfn|Olbrycht|2000a|p=93}}

However, while the Cimmerians were an Iranic people<ref>{{Unbulleted list citebundle|{{harvnb|Diakonoff|1985|p=51}}|{{harvnb|Harmatta|1996|p=1996}}|{{harvnb|Ivantchik|1999|p=517}}|{{harvnb|Olbrycht|2000a|pp=92–93}}|{{harvnb|Bouzek|2001|pp=43–44}}}}</ref> sharing a common language, origins and culture with the Scythians{{sfn|Melyukova|1990|p=98}} and are archaeologically indistinguishable from the Scythians, all sources contemporary to their activities clearly distinguished the Cimmerians and the Scythians as being two separate political entities.{{sfn|Adalı|2017|p=61}}

In 1966, the archaeologist Maurits Nanning van Loon described the Cimmerians as ''Western Scythians'', and referred to the Scythians proper as the ''Eastern Scythians''.{{sfn|van Loon|1966|p=16}}