Language
The Sumerian language of ancient Sumer was spoken in Southern Mesopotamia from at least the 4th millennium BC. Sumerian was replaced by Akkadian as a spoken language around 2000 BC, but continued to be used as a sacred, ceremonial and scientific language in Mesopotamia until about 1 AD. Then, it was forgotten until the 19th century. Sumerian is distinguished from other languages of the area such as Hebrew, Akkadian, which also comprises Babylonian and Assyrian, and Aramaic, which are Semitic languages, and Elamite, which may be an Elamo-Dravidian language.
The chronology of the Sumerian language may be divided into several periods according to linguistic and historical considerations:
http://www.crystalinks.com/sumerlanguage.html
The chronology of the Sumerian language may be divided into several periods according to linguistic and historical considerations:
- Archaic Sumerian - 3100 - 2600 BCE
- Classical Sumerian - 2600 - 2300 BCENeo-Sumerian - 2300 - 2000 BCE
- Post-Sumerian - 2000 - 100 BCE
http://www.crystalinks.com/sumerlanguage.html
Sumerian writing system