The dialect that became the key for interethnic communication in Babylon, Assyria and Egypt in the 10th century BC was the ancient Aramaic language. Such popularity can be explained, first of all, by the distant military campaigns of the Arameans, which took place for at least 400 years. The demand for this dialect is closely related to the ease of learning it.
The forerunner of the Aramaic dialect is the ancient Canaanite language. This is confirmed by the inscriptions that are depicted on Mount Sinai.
Regarding Aramaic, it is important to note the fact that for a long time it had a significant impact on the languages and writing of many peoples who lived almost throughout Europe and Asia. The ancient dialect even influenced the Greek language and the Slavic Cyrillic alphabet. The Aramaic language served as the basis for the classical Hebrew alphabet, which was formed from elements of the Hebrew dialects.
The main differences of this ancient language, whichprovided him with such a distribution, were clarity, simplicity and accuracy. At the same time, it was less euphonious and poetic in comparison with the Jewish, this lack was compensated by the accuracy in the way the information was conveyed.
It is also impossible not to note the fact that during the existence of the Medo-Persian Empire, the Aramaic language acted as one of the few official dialects of the Achaemenid state, created by King Cyrus. It was during this period that the Jewish people began to actively speak the Aramaic dialect.
Many books in the Old Testament are written in this language. Among them, it is worth highlighting the works of Daniel and Ezra, which have been preserved in their most complete form. During the events associated with the life of Jesus Christ, the Aramaic alphabet acted as the most common and used method of transmitting information in all of ancient Palestine. According to legend, all the sermons of Jesus Christ sounded in this ancient dialect.
The heroes of the Gospel spoke a mixture of Aramaic and Hebrew dialects, which is associated with the later writing of this religious work. It is important to note that many names in the New Testament are exact copies of Aramaic names. An example would be Barabbas and Bartholomew, popular in those days.
A feature of the Aramaic language is the use of several varieties of the active alphabet. The most common were: estrangelo, Chaldean (Eastern Aramaic), and also Western Aramaic.
The first eight centuries of our era are the golden age of this dialect:Aramaic held the leading position as a dialect for interethnic communication throughout the Eastern region. The beginning of its decline was the emergence and spread of Arab influence with their traditions and writing. Although we should not forget that at present, individual Syrian settlements use this language in everyday life.
Today, Aramaic is one of the most ancient dialects that was used in the old days and continues to be used for more than 3500 years.
