The Arameans, or Aramaeans (Hebrew: אֲרַמִּים; Ancient Greek: Ἀραμαῖοι; Classical Syriac: ܐܪ̈ܡܝܐ, Aramaye, [1] Syriac pronunciation: [ʔɑːrɑːˈmɑːje]), were a tribal [2] Semitic people [3][4] in the ancient Near East, first documented in historical sources from the late 12th century BC.

Aramaic (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: ארמית, romanized: ˀərāmiṯ Imperial Aramaic pronunciation: [ʔɛrɑmitˤ]; Classical Syriac: ܐܪܡܐܝܬ, romanized: arāmāˀiṯ [a]) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, southeastern Anatolia ...

Apr 5, 2024 · The Aramaic language constitutes the eastern branch of the Northwest Semitic language family. Its closest relatives are the Canaanite dialects in the western branch of the family, such as Hebrew, Phoenician, and Moabite.

Aramaic is divided into several dialects which historically fall into five main groups: Ancient Aramaic is the language of the ancient Aramaic inscriptions up to 700 B.C.E. (from Upper Mesopotamia, northern Syria, and northern Israel). Official Aramaic was in use from 700 to …

Feb 21, 2025 · Aramaic language, Semitic language of the Northern Central, or Northwestern, group that was originally spoken by the ancient Middle Eastern people known as Aramaeans. It was most closely related to Hebrew, Syriac, and Phoenician and was written in a script derived from the Phoenician alphabet.

Dec 23, 2024 · Aramaean, one of a confederacy of tribes that spoke a North Semitic language (Aramaic) and, between the 11th and 8th century bc, occupied Aram, a large region in northern Syria. In the same period some of these tribes seized large tracts of Mesopotamia.

Jul 14, 2013 · LONDON — Geoffrey Khan had almost given up. A linguist at the University of Cambridge, he was in Tbilisi, Georgia, to find the last speakers of a rare dialect of Aramaic. The first of his three...

Aramaic is an ancient language with strong roots in Jewish life and history. Quite a few Jewish prayers and texts, including parts of the Bible itself, were penned in this language, and it served as the primary Jewish vernacular for hundreds of years. Read on for 11 facts about a language as Jewish as Yiddish, if not more so.

Aramaeans: name of the Iron Age people living in what is now Syria. Their language, Aramaic, became the lingua franca of the ancient Near East. Perhaps, the Aramaeans are best understood as a group of city states and semi-nomadic tribes from the Iron Age, speaking related West-Semitic languages, in the area of what is now called Syria.

Aramaic, a Northwest Semitic language, has played a crucial role in the linguistic and cultural history of the Near East for over three millennia. Originating in the ancient region of Syria, it quickly spread across Mesopotamia, the Levant, southeastern Anatolia, and parts of Arabia.