Luwian language

Luwian
Native toHittite Empire, Arzawa, Neo-Hittite kingdoms
RegionAnatolia (Turkey), Northern Syria
EthnicityLuwians
Extinctaround 600 BC
Early forms
Cuneiform
Anatolian hieroglyphs
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
xlu – Cuneiform Luwian
hlu – Hieroglyphic Luwian
xlu Cuneiform Luwian
 hlu Hieroglyphic Luwian
Glottologluvi1235
Distribution of the Luwian language
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Luwian (/ˈlwiən/), sometimes known as Luvian or Luish, is an ancient language, or group of languages, within the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family. The ethnonym Luwian comes from Luwiya (also spelled Luwia or Luvia) – the name of the region in which the Luwians lived. Luwiya is attested, for example, in the Hittite laws.[1]

The two varieties of Proto-Luwian or Luwian (in the narrow sense of these names) are known after the scripts in which they were written: Cuneiform Luwian (CLuwian) and Hieroglyphic Luwian (HLuwian). There is no consensus as to whether these were a single language or two closely related languages.

  1. ^ Law number 21 of the Code of the Nesilim says, "If anyone steal a slave of a Luwian from the land of Luwia, and lead him here to the land of Hatti, and his master discover him, he shall take his slave only."

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