The earlier references refer to Troglodytes, which was evidently
altered later by folk-etymology from Greek trōglē, cave. They were
usually placed in the desert along the African side of the Red Sea coast, from Berenice Troglodytica southward as far as Somalia. They have been connected with
the modern Afar of Eritrea and neighboring peoples, as well as with the Tuareg.Hippolytus of Rome (Chronicon
of 254 AD) identified the Troglodytes with the descendants of Put.Flavius Josephus alludes to a place he calls Troglodytes while
discussing the account in Genesis, that after the death of Sarah, Abraham married Keturah and fathered six sons who in turn fathered many more. "Now,
for all these sons and grandsons, Abraham contrived to settle them in colonies;
and they took possession of Troglodytes, and the country of Arabia Felix..." The Troglodytes
Josephus refers to here is generally taken to mean both coasts of the Red Sea.
However, Josephus goes on to state that the descendants of one of these
grandsons, Epher, invaded Libya, and that the name of Africa was thus derived from that of Epher.