In Greek mythology, Asia (Ἀσία) was one of the Oceanids, daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys.
The term “Asia” is believed to originate in the Bronze Age. The term appears in Hittite records recounting how a confederation of Assuwan states including Troy unsuccessfully rebelled against the Hittite king Tudhaliya I around 1400 BCE. Contemporary Linear B documents contain the term aswia (𐀀𐀯𐀹𐀊), seemingly in reference to the same area.
Herodotus used the term Ἀσία, Asia, in reference to Anatolia and the territory of the Persian Empire, in contrast to Greece and Egypt.
Map: Ptolemy’s Asia