Which ancient Canaanite languages left written records?

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The Canaanite group of Northwestern Semitic languages includes several languages that left behind written records in the ancient Near East:

  • Hebrew: Known primarily through the scriptures and religious writings of ancient Judaism, it is the only Canaanite language that remains a living, spoken language today.12
  • Phoenician: This language was widely used along the coast of the Levant and in Mediterranean colonies. It is documented through numerous inscriptions using the Phoenician alphabet, with records dating from the 11th century BCE to the 1st century BCE.32
  • Punic: A later stage of the Phoenician language used in the North African colony of Carthage, Punic left written records that persisted until the 3rd century CE.2
  • Moabite: This language is closely related to Hebrew and is known chiefly from the Moabite Stone, an inscription dating to the 9th century BCE that details the history of King Mesha of Moab.145

Additionally, early forms of Canaanite are attested in the Tell el-Amarna letters from approximately 1400 BCE.12