Names of the Greeks wholly different term came to establish itself in the East. The ancient people of the Middle East referred to the Hellenes as "Yunan", deriving from Persian "Yauna", itself a loan of Greek Ιωνία (Ionia), the western coast of Asia Minor. It is by affiliation with the Ionian tribe the Persians conquered in the late 6th century BC that their name extended to all Hellenes. All peoples under Persian influence adopted the term, and it is from this root that Sanskrit "Yavana" derives, which one encounters in ancient Sanskrit sources, first attested in Pāṇini's grammar, and later referring, together with Pali
Religions of the ancient Near East justified to summarize the whole region under a single term, but that does not mean, of course, that each historical period and each region should not be looked at individually for a detailed description. This article will attempt to outline the common traits of ancient Near Eastern religions, and refer to sub-articles for in-depth descriptions. The ancient Near East includes the following subregions: The earliest sources, from c. 2500 BC, allow glimpses of Sumerian religion and ancient Egyptian religion. Early Hittite religion bore traits descended from Proto-Indo-European religion, but the later Hittite religions became more and more assimilated to Mesopotamian