Kerman (was Re: etmyology of Germani)

I can't contribute to Michael Smith's and Torsten's discussion
of whether there's any significance to the similarity of "German"
and "Kerman", but I was there once (Kerman, that is; I've been to
Germany too), to look at some features the Geological Survey of Iran
thought were impact craters (my specialty). They looked to me from
the air photos to be volcanic, and so they were.
Anyway, trying to find them, my host stopped to ask
directions. Not knowing the language, the reply sounded to me
like "Blahblahblahblahdofarsaghblahblahcharfarsagh" -- and I
realized that, like Xenophon before us, we were being given
distances in parasangs!
Dan

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@...>
wrote:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Michael J Smith <lookwhoscross-
> eyednow@...> wrote:
> > I was wondering about the etymology of the word Germani,

and if

> > there is any truth in what Strabo said:"The Romans assigned to

them

> the
> > name 'Germani,' as though they wished to indicate thereby that

they

> were
> > 'genuine' Galatae, for in the language of the Romans 'germani'

means

> > 'genuine.'
> >
> > Thoughts anyone?
> >
> > -Michael
> >
> Strabo's derivation makes sense in the case that people on both

sides

> of the Rhine were Celts and those on the Roman side were

Romanized.

> Of course the old romantic in me would want to equate Herodotus'
> Germani and Daans (forgot where) with Germans and Danes although
> proper historians and linguists tell me they were Iranian-speakers
> from Kerman, and Dahae.
>
> Torsten