Why do we refer to the middle east as the middle east but when looking at the historic cultures (for an example, Egypt and Iran) we refer to them as near east? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

Why do we refer to the middle east as the middle east but when looking at the historic cultures (for an example, Egypt and Iran) we refer to them as near east?

by AliMQ

Iran, Mesopotamia, Canaan and Egypt are all referred to as Ancient Near Eastern civilizations. Why the change?

CptBuck

I can't answer for the continued use of the term "Near East" among scholars of those ancient cultures, but I've answered this previously in regards to the advent of the term "Middle East" HERE if that's of interest.