Ancient Languages
Ten Great Extinct Tongues
Culture, alphabet, grammar, and vocabulary for each — with quizzes, an AI translator, and interactive timelines.
Sumerian
Civilization
Sumerian city-states of Mesopotamia (Uruk, Ur, Lagash, Eridu, Nippur)
The Sumerians built the world's first urban civilization in southern Mesopotamia. Their cuneiform writing, city-temple economies, and law codes were inherited by every later Mesopotamian culture — Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian.
Region: Southern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq)
Period: c. 3100 – 100 BC
Family: Language isolate
Script: Cuneiform (logo-syllabic)
Status: Extinct; liturgical use into Roman times
The world's first written language. Gave humanity cities, kings, temples — and, through cuneiform, writing itself.
Signature phrase
𒈗 𒆠𒂗𒄀 𒆠𒌵𒆠
lugal kiengi kiuri
"King of Sumer and Akkad"