Akkadian is, after Sumerian, the second oldest language attested in the Ancient Near East, as well as the oldest known Semitic language. It is also a language with one of history’s longest written records. And yet, unlike other relevant languages written over a long period of time, there has been no volume dedicated to its own history. The aim of the present work is to fill that void. Because it grew to embrace so many facets of Akkadian, and some of its chapters are so extensive, the work is divided into two volumes, the first covering parts 1–4 (Linguistic Background and Early Periods), the second covering parts 5–8 (The Second and First Millennia BCE. Afterlife).
A work of this type could only be a collective endeavor. The outcome is presented in 26 chapters written by 25 authors. It is, therefore, a work with a long and complex gestation. The authors were given only a general suggestion that, as far as possible, their chapters should not be limited to the grammatical aspects of the language, but should also take into account its historical and cultural background. Some authors exceeded (in a few cases considerably) the assigned number of pages, but we trust that the result of their efforts is justification for retaining them in their entirety. On the other hand, the initial plan included several chapters that, for various reasons, it has been necessary to abandon. We hope, nevertheless, that the final product will be useful both to students and to professionals in Assyriology, in Semitic studies, and in general linguistics.
I wish to express my profound thanks to the authors for having responded positively to the invitation, for having honored their commitment, for having entrusted me with their valuable manuscripts and, in short, for having made possible the work that the reader now has in hand. Special thanks are addressed to several of the authors. Wilfred H. van Soldt welcomed the initial proposal, encouraged me to undertake it, helped to give it shape and directed it to Brill publishing. The advice and personal support of John Huehnergard and Leonid Kogan were essential both in the composition of the final plan of the work and at various times throughout its implementation. Michael P. Streck’s personal interest in and commitment to the project were key to the resolution of several obstacles that arose in the last stages of the work.
My thanks are due as well to Brill publishing for its prompt acceptance of the project, for its patience and editorial support during the long process of compiling and editing the manuscript, and for including the volume in its prestigious Handbook of Oriental Studies series. This appreciation extends also to my contacts at Brill, Jennifer Pavelko, Katelyn Chin and Erika Mandarino, for their great help, support and professionalism during these years, and to Cas Van den Hof (TAT Zetwerk) for his effective help and guidance through the proof-reading and typesetting process. Here too I wish to signal my sincere thanks to the two anonymous reviewers of the volume for their constructive suggestions for improving the final manuscript, and to Mark Weeden and Caroline Waerzeggers, Editor in Chief and Editor, respectively, of Brill’s Handbook of Oriental Studies—The Ancient Near East, for their careful review and revision of the entire final manuscript.
On a more personal level, and in the context of a work of this nature, I may be permitted to recall with deep gratitude my teachers of Akkadian, in particular Joaquín Sanmartín, Manuel Molina, Karel Van Lerberghe, Florence Malbran-Labat, Daniel Arnaud and Johannes Renger.
Juan-Pablo Vita
Madrid, September 2020
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Instituto de Lenguas y Culturas del Mediterráneo y Oriente Próximo (ILC)