According to some historians, the word “Asia” finds its roots in the ancient Greek term Ἀσία, which Herodotus first employed in the 5th century BC, primarily when referring to Anatolia or the Persian Empire.
One suggested theory points to the ancient Greeks using the term “Asia” to denote the region to their east. It is possible that the term itself may trace its origins to the Assyrian word “asu,” signifying ‘east.’
Alternatively, there is a viewpoint proposing that the word may have its source in the Aegean word ‘Asis,’ conveying the notion of ‘muddy and silty.’ This description was used to characterize the eastern shores of the Aegean Sea. Another perspective posits that “Asia” could potentially be linked to the Semitic root ‘Asu,’ meaning ‘light,’ symbolizing the concept of sunrise.