Eblaite language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eblaite | ||
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Spoken in: | Ebla | |
Language extinction: | before the 2nd millennium BC | |
Language family: | Afro-Asiatic Semitic East Semitic Eblaite |
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Language codes | ||
ISO 639-1: | none | |
ISO 639-2: | sem | |
ISO 639-3: | xeb
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Eblaite is an extinct, perhaps East Semitic language, which was spoken in the 3rd millennium BC in the ancient city Ebla, in modern Syria. It is considered to be the oldest written Semitic language.
The language, closely related to Akkadian, is known from about 17,000 tablets written with cuneiform script which were found between 1974–1976 in the ruins of the Ebla city. The tablets were first interpreted by Giovanni Pettinato.