The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World's Ancient Languages

This encyclopedia is the first comprehensive reference work treating all of the languages of antiquity.

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World's Ancient Languages is the first comprehensive reference work treating all of the languages of antiquity. Clear and systematic in its approach, the Encyclopedia combines full linguistic coverage of all the well documented ancient languages, representing numerous language families from around the globe. Each chapter of the work focuses on an individual language or, in some instances, a set of closely related varieties of a language. Providing a full descriptive presentation, each of these chapters examines the writing system(s), phonology, morphology, syntax and lexicon of that language, and places the language within its proper linguistic and historical context. The Encyclopedia brings together an international array of scholars, each a leading specialist in ancient language study. While designed primarily for linguistic professionals and students, this work will prove invaluable to all whose studies take them into the realm of ancient language.

1. Introduction Roger D. Woodard; 2. Sumerian Piotr Michalowski; 3. Elamite Matthew W. Stolper; 4. Hurrian Gernot Wilhelm; 5. Urartian Gernot Wilhelm; 6. Afro-Asiatic John Huehnergard; 7. Egyptian and Coptic Antonio Loprieno; 8. Akkadian and Eblaite John Huehnergard and Christopher Woods; 9. Ugaritic Dennis Pardee; 10. Hebrew P. Kyle McCarter, Jr.; 11. Phoenician and Punic Jo Ann Hackett; 12. Canaanite Dialects Dennis Pardee; 13. Aramaic Stuart Creason; 14. Ge'ez (Aksum) Gene Gragg; 15. Old South Arabian Norbert Nebes and Peter Stein; 16. Ancient North Arabian M. C. A. Macdonald; 17. Indo-European Henry M. Hoenigswald and J. P. T. Clackson; 18. Hittite Calvert Watkins; 19. Luvian H. Craig Melchert; 20. Palaic H. Craig Melchert; 21. Lycian H. Craig Melchert; 22. Lydian H. Craig Melchert; 23. Carian H. Craig Melchert; 24. Attic Greek Roger D. Woodard; 25. Greek Dialects Roger D. Woodard; 26. Sanskrit Stephanie W. Jamison; 27. Middle Indic Stephanie W. Jamison; 28. Old Persian Rüdiger Schmitt; 29. Avestan Mark Hale; 30. Pahlavi Mark Hale; 31. Phrygian Claude Brixhe; 32. Latin J. P. T. Clackson; 33. Sabellian Rex E. Wallace; 34. Venetic Rex E. Wallace; 35. Continental Celtic Joseph F. Eska; 36. Gothic Jay H. Jasanoff; 37. Early Northwest Germanic Jan Terje Faarlund; 38. Classical Armenia J. P. T. Clackson; 39. Etruscan Helmut Rix; 40. Early Georgian Kevin Tuite; 41. Ancient Chinese Alain Peyraube; 42. Old Tamil Sanford B. Steever; 43. Mayan Victoria R. Bricker; 44. Epi-Olmec Terrence Kaufman and John Justeson; 45. Reconstructed Ancient Languages Don Ringe.

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World's Ancient Languages is the first comprehensive reference work treating all of the languages of antiquity. Clear and systematic in its approach, the Encyclopedia combines full linguistic coverage of all the well documented ancient languages, representing numerous language families from around the globe.

Roger D. Woodard is the Andrew V. V. Raymond Professor of the Classics at the University of Buffalo. Among his other books are Greek Writing from Knossos to Homer: A Linguistic Interpretation of the Origin of the Greek Alphabet (1997, Oxford); Ovid's Fasti (with A. J. Boyle, 2000, Penguin); and On Interpreting Morphological Change (1990, Gieben).