Presented by Rebecca Hasselbach-Andee, Professor of Comparative Semitics, OI
Language and Cultural Contact in the Third Millennium BCE: The Case of Ebla

From almost the earliest attestations of writing, there is evidence for languages in contact. In Mesopotamia, for example, we have evidence for Sumerian and Akkadian contact from the early third millennium BCE. It is very difficult, however, to determine the extent and duration of such contact in languages that are no longer spoken. In the case of the Ancient Near East sources do not commonly tell us what language(s) individuals spoke or if the language they wrote represents the language also used for oral communication. This lecture draws attention to the difficulties involved in determining the linguistic situation “on the ground” by using the example of Eblaite, an idiom attested in the 24th century BCE in the ancient northern Syrian site of Ebla (Tell Mardikh).

Our lectures are free and available to the public thanks to the generous support of our members. To become a member, please visit: http://bit.ly/2AWGgF7









2021, OI
Music credit: bensound.com