Aramaic language

Semitic language of the Hamito-Semitic family of western Asia, the everyday language of Palestine 2,000 years ago, during the Roman occupation and the time of Jesus.

In the 13th century BC Aramaean nomads set up states in Mesopotamia, and during the next 200 years spread into northern Syria, where Damascus, Aleppo, and Carchemish were among their chief centres. Aramaic spread throughout Syria and Mesopotamia, becoming one of the official languages of the Persian empire under the Achaemenids and serving as a lingua franca of the day. Aramaic dialects survive among small Christian communities in various parts of western Asia, although Arabic spread widely with the acceptance of Islam.