Throughout history, many languages have flourished and disappeared, leaving behind few written records of how they actually sounded.
Thanks to advances in historical linguistics and experimental phonetics, it is now possible to reconstruct with greater precision the pronunciation of ancient languages such as Latin, Etruscan, Ancient Greek, and other languages of the past.
Classical Latin, for example, probably sounded quite different from the ecclesiastical Latin we know. It is believed that the vowels were more open and rounded, the accent primarily fell on the penultimate syllable, and there were phonemic distinctions that were later lost.
Through careful study of ancient texts, inscriptions, and historical accounts, linguists have been able to infer details such as the more guttural pronunciation of consonants.
Another fascinating language is Etruscan, which has not yet been completely deciphered. However, analysis of remaining texts and comparisons with other languages in the region, such as Latin, allow for solid hypotheses about its vowel system and phonotactic rules.
It has been determined that, unlike Latin, the Etruscan accent could fall on any syllable. In the case of Ancient Greek, we have the advantage of preserving linguistic treatises from Ancient Greece that detail its pronunciation.
We know that it had vowels and consonants that no longer exist in modern Greek, and the accent could freely move within words.
By studying archaeological remains such as inscriptions on tablets and Egyptian papyri, experts have also managed to reconstruct aspects of Coptic and other languages of the ancient Near East.
By listening to realistic simulations of these lost languages, created with Artificial Intelligence, we can delve into the cultures that used them and appreciate the linguistic richness that time has erased. A sonic reconstruction of the past allows us to approach civilizations that would otherwise remain silent.
- Share on:
Discover more from LBV Magazine English Edition
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
New Observations from the James Webb Telescope Confirm There’s “Something” Accelerating the Universe’s Expansion, but We Don’t Know What It Is
New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) delve into a mystery that has puzzled cosmologists for more than a decade: the so-called Hubble tension, which refers to the…
The Extraction of Mazarrón II, the Phoenician Ship That Lay Underwater Off the Coast in Southeastern Spain, Is Complete
Mazarrón II, a Phoenician shipwreck found off the coast of Murcia in southeastern Spain, represents a true treasure for maritime archaeology as the most complete ancient vessel discovered in the…
The Bar Kokhba Revolt Against the Romans in 131 CE Was Initially Led by Jewish-Origin Legionaries
A recent study led by Haggai Olshanetsky, a researcher at the University of Warsaw, has changed the historical perception of the Bar Kokhba Revolt or Second Jewish Revolt (sometimes also…
Jeannette Rankin, the First Woman Elected to the U.S. Congress, Voted Against Entering Both World Wars
The National Statuary Hall is a semicircular room in the U.S. Capitol originally built to host sessions of the House of Representatives (the lower chamber of Congress) but repurposed in…
14 Kilograms of Roman Chainmail Found Near the Fortress of Bonn in Germany Were Used to Repair Damaged Armor
Near the site of the ancient Roman legionary fortress in Bonn, Germany, archaeologists uncovered a 14-kilogram cache of chainmail, dated to the 2nd–3rd centuries AD. The remnants of the armor…
The Oldest Bowstrings in Europe, 7,000 Years Old, Found in a Cave in Granada, Spain
A recent study led by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) has revealed the sophistication of Neolithic archery equipment on the Iberian Peninsula (5300–4900 BCE). The analysis of remains found…
Vestiges of the Oldest Human Rituals in Asia and a Totem-Rock Found in a Galilean Cave
In the depths of Galilee in modern-day Israel, an unprecedented archaeological discovery is shedding new light on the earliest inhabitants of the Asian continent. The Manot Cave, located near the…
Othonoi, the westernmost island of Greece, is the mythical Ogygia from The Odyssey
In the crystal-clear waters of the Ionian Sea, 47 nautical miles east of Italy’s Cape Santa Maria di Leuca, lies Othonoi (Οθωνοί in Greek), an island that blends history, mythology,…
Bismarck Towers: A Monumental Phenomenon Spanning Four Continents
The construction of 184 monuments in honor of Otto von Bismarck between 1869 and 1934 in Germany seems logical. After all, the “Iron Chancellor” was the architect of German unification,…
A Shipwreck from the 6th Century BC, Stone and Iron Anchors, Found Off the Southern Coast of Sicily
A highly significant archaeological discovery has come to light in the waters of Santa Maria del Focallo, in the municipality of Ispica, Ragusa province, Sicily. During an underwater excavation campaign,…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
