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Oldest written languages

Name the languages that have had at least one written sentence dating before the common era.
Not including undecipherable languages
This may not be a complete list
Afroasiatic languages are marked in orange, Indo-European languages are marked in green.
Quiz by
KevinTheCat
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Last updated: January 10, 2026
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First submittedJune 19, 2023
Times taken712
Average score31.5%
Rating5.00
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Date
Family
Language
2690
Egyptian
Egyptian
2600
Semitic
Akkadian
2600
Isolate
Sumerian
2400
Semitic
Eblaite
2250
Isolate
Elamite
2100
Hurro-Urartian
Hurrian
1700
Anatolian
Hittite
1600
Palaic
1450
Graeco-Phrygian
Mycenaean Greek
1400
Isolate
Hattic
1400
Anatolian
Luwian
1300
Semitic
Ugaritic
1250
Sino-Tibetan
Old Chinese
1200
Indo-Aryan
Vedic Sanskrit
1000
Semitic
Aramaic
1000
Iranian
Avestan
1000
Semitic
Hebrew
Phoenician
850
Ammonite
Date
Family
Language
840
Semitic
Moabite
820
Hurro-Urartian
Urartian
800
Semitic
Old Arabic
800
Graeco-Phrygian
Phrygian
800
Semitic
Sabaic
700
Tyrsenian
Etruscan
700
Italic
Latin
600
Anatolian
Carian
Italic
Faliscan
600
Tyrsenian
Lemnian
600
Anatolian
Lydian
Unclassified
Messapic
Italic
Umbrian
550
South Picene
Venetic
500
Iranian
Old Persian
Celtic
Lepontic
Indo-Aryan
Maharashtri Prakrit
Date
Family
Language
500
Semitic
Qatabanian
500
Tyrsenian
Rhaetic
450
Anatolian
Lycian
400
Milyan
Sidetic
350
Indo-Aryan
Gandhari
300
Mayan
Classic Maya
300
Celtic
Gaullish
Italic
Oscan
Indo-Aryan
Pali
260
Ashokan Prakrit
250
Iranian
Parthian
200
Indo-Aryan
Elu
200
Nubian?
Meroitic
Dravidian
Old Tamil
146
Berber
Numidian
100
Celtic
Celtiberian
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5 Comments
+1
Level 49
May 13, 2024
Ugaritic is a Semitic (Afroasiatic) language, not an isolate. Really great quiz!
+1
Level 68
May 13, 2024
Don't know how I missed that.
+1
Level 70
Nov 14, 2024
No Assyrian?
+1
Level 68
Nov 15, 2024
It should have been included under Akkadian. This is fixed now.
+1
Level 40
Apr 17, 2025
amazing but really hard, got 25. congrats for the quiz