Long ago, in the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia, Akkadian was the dominant language. And, for centuries, it remained the lingua franca in the Ancient Near East. But then it was gradually squeezed out by Aramaic, and it faded into oblivion once Alexander the Great Hellenized (Greekified) the region.
Now, 2,000+ years later, Akkadian is making a small comeback. At Cambridge University, Dr. Martin Worthington, an expert in Babylonian and Assyrian grammar, has started recording readings of poems, myths and other texts in Akkadian, including The Epic of Gilgamesh. This clip gives you a taste of what Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known works of literature, sounds like in its mother tongue. Or, you can jump into the full collection of readings right here.
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via Heritage Key
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This is wonderful!
How beautiful!
I liked it better in the original Klingon.
Sounds very close to a mix of Hebrew and Arabec n
Sounds like a mix of Hebrew and Arabic. Very nice!
I’m surprised how much it sounds like Hebrew :O Surprisingly beautiful, too!
It does not sound like Hebrew at all. I speak Hebrew from birth;I should know! It sounds a little like Arabaic, but only because the reader prononces some word like Arabic. Those who speak Semitic languages understand that none of them sound alike.
And to people who don’t speak Semitic languages, they do sound alike.
u05e2u05d1u05e8u05d9u05ea u05d6u05d4 u05dcu05d0nnnvery interesting. doesn’t sound anything like Hebrew, except maybe the word aram. but half the time it sounds like an arab accent.
Lovely, but did the guy have to be so monotonous? :(
This is absolutely beautiful! Loved listening to it… I agree that it does sound like it could’ve been a Semitic language family member. Thank you very much for making this clip available…
Akkadian is a Semitic language. One way scholars reconstruct the pronunciation of Akkadian is through comparative Semitics (i.e. studying the pronunciation of Arabic and other Semitic languages currently spoken to reconstruct earlier forms based on rules of linguistic change.)
Thanks for posting — will definitely make time to listen to the full text. Dont know my Akkadian from my elbow, but presumably this was spoken and listened to by most people rather than read, and the cadence and rhythyms convey a lot of the story’s drama. No different to hearing bits of Homer — you hear it and can tell its a big story, not a soap powder advert.
How did they know how it should sound?
This explains it briefly. Basically a lot of what we know comes from surviving related languages. This was relatively “easy” with Akkadian, since we have multiple dialects of Arabic, Aramaic, Hebrew, and Amharic to go on, seeing how different roots and sounds can change with place and time, and thereby being able to make an educated prediction as to where Akkadian would have been plotted within the Semitic family. nnWith Ancient Egyptian it was significantly more difficult, as its descendants only survive in the liturgical language of the Coptic Church, and in Greek transliterations of Egyptian words.nnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Semitic_languages
Since we don’t really know what classical Greek sounds like, I suspect that this is a “best guess” to what it originally sounded like. Regardless, its cool.
This is lovely. I know next to nothing about Akkadian, but it sounds like a lovely language.
Only unscrupulousness can cause such “Foolishnlies”!nnFirstly, imagine this, my name u2013 Qliji — is simple to pronounce,nbut apparently it is too difficult for westerners to pronounce it correctly. NownI cannot understand, how can a westerner make sure the pronunciation of a scriptnfrom ca. 1800 BC from the same region and the same kind as the Qliji?nnSecondly, during the past two decades, I did my best to makenpeople aware of the fact that contemporary translations of the ancient NearnEast scripts are hoaxes. With hundreds of examples, in the Bible Discovered: Biblen= Babel (Babylon), I substantiated the fact that names like Gilgamesh, Sumerian,nBabylonian, Akkadian etc. are false, but some people do not like to understandnthat; they shamelessly continue the crime of falsifying of historical documentsn and lying to the world. nThey continue their contribution to genocide by falsifying ofnthe Kurdish historical documents and destroying of the cultural heritages ofnthe Kurdish nation.
I’m with you 100% but to make people believe that what “scientists” say is false, is very difficult
Mr. Berai. I agree with your concerns. I think westerners can’t do this job well. Can you name a easterner scientist working on these issues please?nnLet me answer, there isn’t one.nSo I don’t find anything logical in just blaming them and telling them they are liars. This is just disrespecting their long time efforts trying to reveal a language. They don’t deserve it.
Dear Cem, nWhat did you looking for? It does not matter of the westerners or easterners! nnAs I said in the book: Bible Discovered Bible = Babel (Babylon) I have proved that the decipherment of the ancient Near East scripts are hoaxes.nYou should read the book. nFor more take a look at the blog of Bible Discovered on: http://hqberai.blogspot.com/
Thanks. I just used it to make my children’s study of ancient cultures more alive.(aged 10 and 8)
Sounds like Old Valyrian.
its look like persian
“… and it faded into oblivion once Alexander the Great
Hellenized (Greekified) the region.”
This is quite a grand statement, but understandable coming from a Eurocentric point of view. The “Ancient Near East” was never Hellenized. The Persians conquered the region far longer, and the region wasn’t Persianized either.
Some of the words are reminiscent of Farsi.
Would love to hear a poem like this set to authentic music.
I speak Arabic, and to me it sounds like Hebrew. Beautiful!
The accent of the reader sound very much like an Arab speaking Hebrew though.
“unni Gilgamesh” What is the meaning of ‘unni’?
Akkadian, a Semitic language, is NOT the language in which the Epic of Gilgamesh was original composed–I can’t believe the magnitude of the mistake you are making here.It was originally composed in Sumerian, a non-Semitic language. Centuries later it was written in Akkadian and still later, in Babylonian.
You really need to correct this misconception.
Thank you, Vincent. This reading also reminds me of Seamus Heaney’s woeful beginning of Beowulf, with “Hwaet” being far too colloquial for a declamatory epic beginning. This is not at all bardic — it is more woebegone than triumphant.
How could one tell? What instrumental models could one use?
Eventually, of course, it was — but that is to collapse 2,000 years into a decade, isn’t it?
I see my responses were un-moored from context. I apologize for this error on my part, in not making context clear within response. I’ll try to mend my ways.
Wow, this sounds like Hebrew! actually I wouldn’t know, but its awesome how this ancient language is making a comeback! This is important stuff that teaches us as humans a bit more of the ancient world.
Jee Francis, Unni means, I., put it in sentence in Aramaic , Unnie even Yalda, means I am a boy.
Gilgamesh and Enkidoo when the wall fell…
Sokath, his eyes uncovered!
Yeah, Hamlet, too :-/
I don’t like it. It sounds like Arabic
The label language Akkadian error will not be the kingdom of Assyria was before the Kingdom of confirmed and the kings of Assyria corned record in the Museum of London confirms my words, and it is obvious that the Assyrians were talking Assyrian and not Akkadian but relics Jewish scholars who had put this label for falsification of the truth and of in order to say that the Hebrew language is itself a splinter of the Akkadian and Assyrian not. .
Isn’t Sumerian the language in which The Epic Of Gilgamesh was originally written in ?
Maybe this is ancient Akkadian and maybe this Akkadian is even original … but it has the problem of non-spoken languages, even comparing it to Latin, people only imagine this is how the words sounded, there is no guarantee that actual Akkadians spoke it like this.
Nevertheless, this is highly beautiful and to be appreciated
I also thought that the original was in Sumerian. After all, Gilgamesh was the king of Ur, which was the Sumerian capital. My understanding was that the earliest pieces of the written epic were from about 2500 BCE, but the story itself dates back to around 3000 BCE. Either way, it was the height of Sumerian culture, and I’m not sure the Akkadians were even a literate culture that early, were they?
This is hebrew and arabic man.
‘I doubt this was their language
I would love to know what the *pop* is at about 1:20.
Yes, but its original language was Sumerian, not Akkadian.
I need to know what “shee ba nu shoo” means (1:38)
Alan Dechert…it means “the fighting dog didn’t come.” or…Sheba Inu was a no show…in English. No, just kidding.
Hermeneutics without any Hermeneutics.……
Love where he throws in a few French words when he gets stuck.
Bible = biblos = book. The name is derived from Greek, which was the language of the learned in the Roman empire at the time when the New Testament was written. Researchers might not get everything right — that’s why research exists, to try and get closer to the truth — but they’re not idiots either.
Are you ppl really this arrogant or ignorant? What predates and translates/transcribes “sumerian”??? Answer, Magyar or Mag hur runic script!!!! All babilonian or akkadian is founded on Sumerian sooo start there simpletons. This is not arabic or hebrew nor any other semite tongue. Gilgamesh, the non jewish one, is in fact “sumerian” and is also known as Nimrod to Magyar ppl. Keep filling those meager minds and then maybe, one day, your eyes will prove worthy of sight. Shalom
And Camille, regarding your last comment, take a peak at this link that pertains to your Greek Latin misinformation, https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLYvogxdJVDt9z9u7-BBxGLwUGyqZoXn9Z&v=tC0Dedg42HY
For you, Camille, https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLYvogxdJVDt9z9u7-BBxGLwUGyqZoXn9Z&v=tC0Dedg42HY
Camille, for you, research Mario Alinei regarding your Greco latin comment…
Oh, another crank. Yes, YOU ALONE have discovered the true secrets, and everybody else is wrong. Hah.
Gilgamesh (or however he was pronounced) was king of Uruk, not Ur. But the story was first written in Sumerian. Later it was transcribed in other languages, including Akkadian. They have clues how to approximately pronounce Akkadian. Does anyone know how to pronounce Sumerian?
seems a blend of Arabic and Persian languages having a lovely soft sound.
A revelation. Gorgeous.
Is there anyone that can teach me this beautiful language? Or possibly point me somewhere that could lead me in a promising direction?? I would be in your debt. I would dedicate as much time and patients possible. Thanks for any feed back. Much love to all and those who have little to nice left in them I pray you find brighter days soon:)
I speak Hebrew, some Arabic, and understand a bit of Aramaic.
Yeeeeeeah, they do sound alike. Akkadian /should/ sound like Arabic because Arabic is the best preserved semitic language, at least sound-wise. You can hear the difference between them, but they /do/ all sound alike. It’s the same sounds, the phonological rules are based on the same principals.
Shemesh, Shemsha, Shams.
Aretz, Ar3a, Ard’a.
3olam, 3alma, 3aalam.
Rua7, Ru7a, Ruu7.
Katav, Kathav, Katab.
Shalom, Shlama, Salaam.
The semitic languages are all based on the same rules. If you know one it’s easy to pick up another.
Unni means ana or ono ( today) means I Gilgamesh
To my ears,I do hear some of the sounds of Arabic and Hebrew (and Aramaic). I understand that native Arabic and Hebrew speakers would disagree, but according to my college class, modern Semitic languages all have a common ancestor, the Akkaydian/Sumeric language.
How can be the reconstruction of Ancient Greek Music 100% accurate! What a dogmatic statement!
Wonderful.. it sound like arabic or other semitic languages
Obviously, without original recordings it is impossible to reproduce sounds, even with the best of notations. However, solely by putdowns of honest efforts the work can only disappear, instead of evolving into better understanding. I suggest you contribute to the positive effort by suggesting your own versions, with explanation for your reasonings. You will be listened to very intently, I assure you.
Regarding Kurdish history and its root culture, I have been trying to find material but it is elusive at best. A contribution to the lore would be very welcome.
Shulmanu Asharedu
Akad until today is unknown .
faking history to fit the lies of old testament and its politics is now worldwide and even in famous universities .