Aram-Damascus

Aram-Damascus is an ancient Semitic language historically spoken by the Arameans in the region around Damascus, Syria. It is part of the Northwest Semitic language family, closely related to Hebrew and Phoenician. Aramaic was widely used for commerce, religion, and administration across the Near East from around 1200 BCE onwards, especially during the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods. While its everyday use has declined, it still survives in some Christian and Jewish communities. Aram-Damascus holds significant historical and linguistic importance, contributing to the development of other Semitic languages and early scripts used in the ancient Near East.