8 ancient languages that are still spoken around the world

From Tamil to Greek: Discover 8 of the world's most oldest languages still spoken today.

Tamil

Tamil is one of the world’s oldest literary traditions with roots going back to 300 BCE. Spoken by millions in India, Sri Lanka, and Singapore.

Sanskrit

Sanskrit was spoken around 2000 BCE, is known as the "language of the gods". Though not commonly spoken today, it remains central to Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain scriptures. 

Chinese

Chinese is one of the oldest languages still used today, going back to around 1250 BCE. Today, over a billion people speak it. 

Greek was spoken around 1450 BCE. From Socrates to Homer, it shaped Western thought and literature.

Greek

Hebrew was widely spoken by the ancient Israelites. Though it faded  by the 2nd century CE, it was revived in the 19th century. Today, it's the official language of Israel.

 Hebrew

Farsi, rooted in Old Persian from around 550 BCE, is spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. 

Farsi (Persian)

Arabic emerged around the 4th century CE in the Arabian Peninsula. It became the language of Islam’s holy book, the Quran. Today, Arabic is spoken by over 420 million people across the Middle East and North Africa.

Arabic

Latin was spoken as early as the 7th century BCE and was the main language of the Roman Empire. It's not used in daily life but is still found in science, law, medicine, and the Catholic Church. 

Latin