Tamil inscriptions on a Bragadeeshwara Temple in Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India.
But no matter when speech evolved, language has become the defining feature of the human condition.
While words spoken aloud may vanish into the air of history, words written down last generations and millennia.
Tamil inscriptions on a Bragadeeshwara Temple in Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. (Photo: Shivz Photography viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY 2.0)
Of course, it isnt completely straightforward.
These languages may still exist, but thats not to say they havent evolved over time.
For example, Greek has been spoken for over 3,000 years.
A facsimile of the Great Isaiah Scroll, a second century B.C.E Dead Sea Scroll in Hebrew. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
However, ancient philosophers speaking Koine Greek would find it difficult to understand modern Greeks and vice versa.
Tamil, a Dravidian language, is likewise quite ancient.
The oldest extant Tamil literature,Tolkappiyam, was likely written by a Jain monk around 200 CE.
Text from a Sanskrit Manuscript on medicine in the Wellcome Library, London. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons,CC BY 4.0)
Latin, while ancient, is not spoken conversationally.
A facsimile of the Great Isaiah Scroll, a second century B.C.E Dead Sea Scroll in Hebrew.
Text from a Sanskrit Manuscript on medicine in the Wellcome Library, London.
“The Book of Documents” (Shūjīng), a classic of Chinese literature. This copy dates to the 7th century CE. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
This copy dates to the 7th century CE.
(Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
A Tamil inscription from the second century CE.
A Tamil inscription from the second century CE. (Photo: Sodabottle viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 3.0)
