A lost language has actually emerged from the depths of history, engraved onto a Bronze Age clay tablet discovered in Turkey. This discovery, revealed by scientists from the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg in Germany, opens a remarkable window into the past, shedding light on the complex web of human linguistic development.
A cuneiform inscription from the 9th century BC, supposedly Neo-Assyrian, found in Northern Mesopotamia. This is just for illustration purposes. Credit: ReThink Quarterly.
A look into early Indo-European languages
Kalasmaic also seems to share more features with Luwian, although the area where it is believed it was spoken is geographically closer to the location where Palaic was spoken. Next, the scientists will try to examine how carefully Kalašmaic is connected to other Luwian dialects..
The German Archaeological Institute (DAI) has been thoroughly excavating Boğazköy-Hattusha for over a century, unearthing an amazing 30,000 clay tablets. These tablets have actually offered indispensable insights into various elements of Hittite life, all engraved in cuneiform– a script thought about to be the earliest known writing system, stemming more than 5,000 years back in Mesopotamia.
Despite this remarkable find, the newfound language remains mostly muddled. Nevertheless, Professor Elisabeth Rieken from Philipps University of Marburg, Germany, a specialist in Anatolian languages, has actually verified that the Kalašmaic tongue indeed comes from the Indo-European household judging from its functions.
” The Hittites were distinctively thinking about recording routines in foreign languages,” said Daniel Schwemer, head of the Chair of Ancient Near Eastern Studies at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg..
The team unearthed a recitation of a mystical, previously unidentified extinct language hidden within a cuneiform tablet. This tablet, bearing a ritual engraved in Hittite, described the lost tongue as the language of the land of Kalašma– an area believed to correspond to present-day Bolu or Gerede in northern Turkey.
Many of the inscriptions discovered at Boğazköy-Hattusha are in the extinct Hittite language, the oldest known member of the Indo-European household. Other languages, such as Luwian and Palaic, likewise make appearances on these ancient tablets. The real intrigue lay in excavations from 2023, led by Professor Dr. Andreas Schachner of DAIs Istanbul Department.
Archaeologists initially discovered a ritual text engraved on a tablet at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Boğazköy-Hattusha in Turkeys northern Çorum province. This website, as soon as the capital of the Hittite Empire during the Late Bronze Age (circa 1650-1200 B.C.), is known for its gold mine of artifacts and historical tricks.
The lost language just recently unveiled belongs to the large Indo-European family. This linguistic family includes hundreds of related tongues, all thought to share a typical prehistoric ancestor..
Many of the engravings discovered at Boğazköy-Hattusha remain in the extinct Hittite language, the earliest recognized member of the Indo-European household. Other languages, such as Luwian and Palaic, likewise make appearances on these ancient tablets. Nevertheless, the real intrigue lay in excavations from 2023, led by Professor Dr. Andreas Schachner of DAIs Istanbul Department.
A cuneiform engraving from the 9th century BC, reportedly Neo-Assyrian, discovered in Northern Mesopotamia. Credit: ReThink Quarterly.
Echoes of Lost Tongues.
Amazingly, nearly half of the worlds population speaks an Indo-European language today, with their native roots extending throughout Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. This varied family consists of familiar languages like English, Hindi, Spanish, French, Russian, Portuguese, German, Punjabi, and Bengali.
A map of the Hittite Empire and surrounding states, consisting of the Assyrian Empire, the Egyptian Empire, and Ahhiyawa. Credit: Empires of Bronze by Gordon Doherty.
