Mesopotamian Languages

Mesopotamian languages refer to the various languages spoken in ancient Mesopotamia, an area now part of Iraq and Syria, over thousands of years. The most prominent was Sumerian, a language isolate, used mainly in early Sumerian city-states. Later, Akkadian, a Semitic language, became dominant and had two main dialects: Assyrian and Babylonian. These languages were written in cuneiform script on clay tablets and influenced subsequent cultures in the region. Although no longer spoken today, they are vital for understanding the history, literature, and civilization of ancient Mesopotamia.