#10 Persian (2500 Years Old)

#10 Persian (2500 Years Old)
Persian, also referred to as Farsi emerged in 525 BC in ancient Iran. Persian evolved through three stages: Old, Middle, and Modern Persia. 
More than 100 million people speak the Modern Persian language today.
#9 Latin (2700 Years Old)
Latin emerged sometime in 700 BC. Scholars categorize Latin as an Indo-European language. The other languages that fall under this category include Italian, French, Romanian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Even English is an Indo-European language. 
Interestingly, the people who originally spoke Latin were called Romans. The name “Romans” is derived from Romulus, the founder of the language. 
#8 Aramaic (2900 Years Old)
The Aramaean birthed the Aramaic language sometime in 900 BC. The Aramaeans were a Semitic group from the Middle East. By 700 BC, the language had become popular and spread across different cultures, and the Assyrians even considered it their second language. 
Greek eventually displaced Aramaic as the official Persian Empire language.
#7 Hebrew (3000 Years Old)
Hebrew is a Semitic language spoken in the Northwest. Anthropologists consider it as one of the Afroasiatic languages. Historically, it’s one Israelites’ spoken languages. The longest-surviving descendants of the Israelites—the Samaritans and Jews—also speak it. The written format of Hebrew is written and read from right to left, unlike English which follows the opposite direction.
#6 Han Ethnic Chinese (3250 Years Ago)
Today, there’s no such thing as the Chinese language, despite many people using this term to refer to the language the Chinese use for communication. 
#5 Greek (3450 Years Ago)
Greek is among the few ancient tongues that still exist today. Indeed, Greek developed approximately three and a half millenniums ago and is still a primary language in present-day Greece.
#4 Sanskrit (3500 Years Ago)
Sanskrit emerged around 1500 BC and is still used in some religious ceremonies and texts in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
#3 Tamil (5000 Years Ago)
Tamil also joins the list of the oldest languages, having emerged in 3000 BC. Scholars categorize Tamil as a Dravidian Language. Tamil likely emerged before 3000 BC when the Tamils printed their first grammar book. The spoken version likely existed before the written format emerged. 
#2 Egyptian (5000 Years Ago)
The ancient Egyptian language emerged around 3000 BC and, like the Sumerian language, became extinct in 641 AD when the Arabs conquered Egypt. Ancient Egyptians wrote their language using Hieroglyphic scripts comprising symbols of humans, animals, and various artificial objects. 
#1 Sumerian (5,000 Years Ago)
The Sumerian language emerged approximately in 3200 BC. It also holds the title of the oldest written language. Sumerians wrote the language using cuneiforms. Cuneiforms comprised wedge-shaped symbols, which the Sumerians made by making an impression on soft clay tablets using a sharpened reed stylus. 
Archeologists found some tablets dating back to the fourth millennium with inscriptions of teaching materials and administrative records. 
Ancient Sumerians living in southern Mesopotamia spoke using this now-extinct language.