Akkadian

Overview

Akkadian is the earliest attested Semitic language. Its name derives from the name of the city of Akkad, presently unidentified but located most likely in the area of modern Baghdad, which became the center of the first Mesopotamian empire established by Sargon the Great ca. 2350 BCE. The dynasty established by Sargon was of Semitic origin, and continuous documents were first recorded in Akkadian, using the Mesopotamian cuneiform script, during his reign and the reigns of his successors. Akkadian written tradition continued for 2500 years, and the latestcuneiform texts in this language belong to the 1 st century CE.

Akkadian had several dialects, the most distinct of which was the dialect of the North Mesopotamian city of Assur, which eventually grew into the kingdom of Assyria. Other, more southern dialects of Akkadian are conventionally grouped under the designation "Babylonian"; although some geographical and chronological distinctions among those dialects can be observed.

Eventually, the Babylonian dialect of the late second and first millennia BCE became a common vehicle of literary expression in Mesopotamia. Within the Semitic language family, Akkadian forms the East Semitic branch, as opposed to other Semitic languages grouped into West Semitic.