Akkadian language
Akkadian (llišānum akkadītum) or Assyro-Babylonian[7] was a Semitic language, part of the Afro-Asiatic language family, spoken in ancient Iraq.[8] The first-known Semitic language, it used the cuneiform writing system from ancient Sumer.[8][9]
| Akkadian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babylonian or Assyrian 𒀝𒅗𒁺𒌑(𒌝) Akkadû(m) | ||||
 Akkadian language inscription on the obelisk of Manishtushu | ||||
| Region | Mesopotamia | |||
| Era | c. 2600–500 BC; academic or liturgical use until AD 100[1] | |||
| Language family | ||||
| Dialects |
Assyrian
Babylonian[4]
| |||
| Writing system | Sumero-Akkadian cuneiform | |||
| Official status | ||||
| Official language in | Initially Akkad (central Mesopotamia); lingua franca of the Middle East and Egypt in the late Bronze and early Iron Ages. | |||
| Language codes | ||||
| ISO 639-2 | akk | |||
| ISO 639-3 | akk | |||
| Linguist List | akk | |||
| ||||
History
The earliest known Akkadian inscription was found on a bowl at Ur. It was addressed to a very early pre-Sargonic king of Ur by his queen Gan-saman, who is thought to have been from Akkad. The Akkadian Empire, established by Sargon of Akkad, introduced the Akkadian language, i.e. the "language of Akkad", as a written language. It used Sumerian cuneiform orthography (writing method) for the purpose.[8][9]
During the middle Bronze Age (Old Assyrian and Old Babylonian period), the language displaced Sumerian. Sumerian probably became extinct as a living language by the 18th century BC.[8][9]
Evolution
Akkadian is divided into several varieties based on geography and historical period:[8][9]
- Old Akkadian, 2500–1950 BC
- Old Babylonian/Old Assyrian, 1950–1530 BC
- Middle Babylonian/Middle Assyrian, 1530–1000 BC
- Neo-Babylonian/Neo-Assyrian, 1000–600 BC
- Late Babylonian, 600 BC–100 AD
Akkadian Language Media
Cuneiform writing (Neo-Assyrian script)*(1 = Logogram (LG) "mix"/syllabogram (SG) ḫi,*2 = LG "moat",*3 = SG aʾ,*4 = SG aḫ, eḫ, iḫ, uḫ,*5 = SG kam,*6 = SG im,*7 = SG bir)
A Neo-Babylonian inscription of Nebuchadnezzar II
The first known Sumerian-Akkadian bilingual tablet dates from the reign of Rimush. Louvre Museum AO 5477. The top column is in Sumerian, the bottom column is its translation in Akkadian.
An inscription in Babylonian, in the Xerxes I inscription at Van, 5th century BC
Neo-Babylonian inscription of king Nebuchadnezzar II, 7th century BC
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References
- ↑ "Neo-Assyrian". Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ↑ "Akkadian".
- ↑ I.J. Gelb. "Old Akkadian writing and grammar" (PDF). uchicago.edu. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ↑ "Babylonian dialect | Akkadian dialect | Britannica".
- ↑ Shlomo Izre'el (2007). "Canaano-Akkadian" (PDF). tau.ac.il. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ↑ von Dassow, Eva, "Canaanite in Cuneiform", Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 124, no. 4, pp. 641–74, 2004
- ↑ "Akkadian language". Britannica. November 5, 2024. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4
- "The World's Oldest Writing - Recipes - Archaeology Magazine - May/June 2016". Archaeology Magazine. 2016. https://archaeology.org/issues/may-june-2016/collection/cuneiform-recipes/the-worlds-oldest-writing. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- Lidman, Melanie (June 17, 2023). "Groundbreaking AI project translates 5,000-year-old cuneiform at push of a button". The Times of Israel. https://www.timesofisrael.com/groundbreaking-ai-project-translates-5000-year-old-cuneiform-at-push-of-a-button. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- Anderson, Sonja (August 1, 2024). "Researchers Decipher Cuneiform Tablet—and Discover It’s a Furniture Receipt". Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-decipher-cuneiform-tablet-and-discover-its-a-furniture-receipt-180984805. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- Levin, Claire (November 7, 2024). "Unraveling the ancient past, one tablet at a time". University of Chicago News. https://news.uchicago.edu/story/unraveling-ancient-past-one-tablet-time. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- Carvajal, Guillermo (December 5, 2024). "Analysis of Mesopotamian Texts in Akkadian Reveals How Emotions Were Experienced: Love Was Felt in the Knees". Magazine Cultural Independiente. https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2024/12/analysis-of-mesopotamian-texts-in-akkadian-reveals-how-emotions-were-experienced-love-was-felt-in-the-knees. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3
- Reiner, Erica (April 1, 1966). A Linguistic Analysis of Akkadian. Vol. 21. De Gruyter Mouton. doi:10.1515/9783111356693. ISBN 9783111000282. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- Cooper, Jerrold S. (1973). "Sumerian and Akkadian in Sumer and Akkad". Orientalia. Peeters Publishers. 42: 239–246. JSTOR 43079390. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- George, Andrew (1997). "Languages of Iraq, Ancient and Modern". Babylonian and Assyrian: a history of Akkadian. London: British School of Archaeology in Iraq. pp. 31–71. ISBN 9780903472210. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- Izre'el, Shlomo (1998). "Canaano-Akkadian: Some Methodological Requisites for the Study of the Amarna Letters from Canaan" (PDF). Lincom Europa. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- Kouwenberg, N. J. C. (2010). The Akkadian Verb and Its Semitic Background. Penn State University Press. doi:10.5325/j.ctv1bxh2bd. JSTOR 10.5325/j.ctv1bxh2bd. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
