Akkadian

Also known as akk, Akkadian language, Old Babylonian language, Old Babylonian

extinct Semitic language of Mesopotamia

AI overview

Akkadian was an ancient Semitic language spoken in Mesopotamia that eventually died out thousands of years ago. It matters to historians and archaeologists because studying it helps us understand the civilization and culture of one of humanity's earliest complex societies.

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Wikidata facts

Image: P1050578 Louvre Obélisque de Manishtusu détail rwk.JPG

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Commons category: Akkadian language
exact match: publications.europa.eu/resource/authority/language/AKK
number of speakers, writers, or signers: 0
short name: аккадӣ
P10369: Mexico
native label: 𒀝 𒅗 𒁺 𒌑
P8168: Yap Kim Hock
P13311: Baon
start time: 2600-00-00
end time: 0270-00-00

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Article

Akkadian (/əˈkeɪdiən/ ə-KAY-dee-ən; Akkadian: 𒀝𒅗𒁺𒌑(𒌝), romanized: Akkadû(m)) is an extinct East Semitic language that is attested in ancient Mesopotamia (Akkad, Assyria, Isin, Larsa, Babylonia) from the mid-third millennium BC until its gradual replacement in common use by Old Aramaic among Mesopotamians by the 8th century BC.

Akkadian, which is the earliest documented Semitic language, is named after the city of Akkad, a major centre of Mesopotamian civilization during the Akkadian Empire (c. 2334–2154 BC). It was written using the cuneiform script, originally used for Sumerian, but also used to write multiple languages in the region including Eblaite, Hurrian, Elamite, Old Persian and Hittite. The influence of Sumerian on Akkadian went beyond just the cuneiform script; owing to their close proximity, a lengthy span of contact and the prestige held by the former, Sumerian significantly influenced Akkadian phonology, vocabulary and syntax. This mutual influence of Akkadian and Sumerian has also led scholars to describe the languages as a sprachbund.