ERC Starting Grant · 2025
Late Sumerian: The Afterlife of an Ancient Near Eastern Language
Sumerian is probably the earliest recorded language of humankind and its writings are among the most significant sources for studying the ancient Near East. It has been documented in the cuneiform script for over three millennia, from approximately 3300/3200 BCE to 74/5 CE. To date, however, a fundamental question in the field remains elusive: Why, if the last native Sumerian speaker passed away no later than the beginning of the second millennium BCE, did Sumerian continue to be used by the cultural and religious elite until the beginning of the Common Era? What was it about Sumerian that enabled it to trump Akkadian, Aramaic, Persian, Parthian, and many other languages of that time in the…
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