Talk:Arameans

Hey this is just a question, but as we all know Arameans clearly dont exist today.

So i was thinking maybe i could a part of where they went extinct? Assyrianmaps (talk) 09:50, 18 June 2024 (UTC)

Any professor and any linguist in the world confirms that Arameans exist and that Syriac Christians: Syriacs, Melkites, Nestorians, Chaldeans are literally Arameans. Open any book! 2A02:A420:578:67E7:186C:D49B:195A:B49F (talk) 17:08, 2 August 2024 (UTC)

People who push Assyrian POV like you and @Shmayo should not edit this page since you only try to erase or confuse people about Arameans. Your only goal is to push an ‘Assyrian’ view/identity on Aramean/Syriac Christians! You don’t stand for the truth you are biased 2A02:A420:578:67E7:186C:D49B:195A:B49F (talk) 17:10, 2 August 2024 (UTC)

Arameans are still alive. By reading Syriac literature, which is the most relevant to the topic of Arameans, you'd read that the Arameans are very alive and have preserved their culture, language and religion. User623921 (talk) 11:18, 10 December 2024 (UTC)

We still exist. My raw dna confirms my Aramean heritage so what are you talking about? Do you want more proof then our raw dna?? 2A02:A45F:ADD7:1:F961:71CE:382C:A8A (talk) 00:11, 31 December 2024 (UTC)

Thank you for standing to our people🙏 TheArameanOfMidyat (talk) 21:48, 3 September 2025 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 3 September 2025

Extended content

This article is about the ancient Semitic people. For their modern descendants, see Aramean identity.

Arameans

File:Aramean flag.svg The modern Aramean flag
Total population
Estimates vary; communities in the Middle East and diaspora
Regions with significant populations
Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Sweden, Germany, Netherlands
Languages
Aramaic (various dialects), national languages of diaspora
Religion
Christianity (mainly Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholic, Maronite, Chaldean Catholic)
Related ethnic groups
Aramean-Syriac people, Phoenicians, other Semitic peoples

Arameans (ܐܪ̈ܡܝܐ, Ārāmāyē), also known as Syrians (not to be confused with the modern Syrian nationality), are a Semitic people native to the Levant and Mesopotamia. The Arameans emerged as a distinct group in the late Bronze Age and established numerous small kingdoms throughout the ancient Near East, including Aram-Damascus, Bit-Adini, Hamath, and Aram-Zobah.

They spoke the Aramaic language, which later became the lingua franca of the Near East and the original language of large parts of the Bible, including the words of Jesus (Yeshua).

History

Origins

The Arameans are first attested in Assyrian inscriptions from the 12th century BC. They settled across Syria, northern Iraq, and southeastern Turkey.

Aramean Kingdoms

Several Aramean states arose:

• Aram-Damascus – the strongest and most enduring kingdom, mentioned frequently in the Hebrew Bible.
• Bit-Adini – located on the Euphrates, later annexed by Assyria.
• Hamath – an important Aramean center in western Syria.
• Aram-Zobah – mentioned in biblical accounts of King David’s wars.

These kingdoms were gradually absorbed by the Neo-Assyrian Empire in the 8th century BC.

Aramaic as a World Language

After the fall of their kingdoms, the Arameans influenced the region through their language. Imperial Aramaic became the administrative language of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, Neo-Babylonian Empire, and Achaemenid Empire.

Aramaic remained dominant for over a millennium, eventually developing into various dialects, including Classical Syriac, which became the literary and liturgical language of Syriac Christianity.

Christianization

By the 1st century AD, most Arameans had adopted Christianity. Edessa (modern Şanlıurfa) became a key center of Syriac Christianity. The Syriac Orthodox Church and other Syriac traditions preserved the Aramaic heritage through liturgy, theology, and literature.

Modern Arameans

Today, the descendants of the Arameans are known as Syriacs or Arameans. They mainly belong to the Syriac Orthodox Church, Syriac Catholic Church, Maronite Church, and Chaldean Catholic Church.

Significant diaspora communities exist in Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, and North America due to emigration from the Middle East.

The term "Assyrian" is sometimes applied to these communities, but many scholars and church leaders affirm that the ancient Assyrians disappeared after the collapse of their empire, while the Arameans endured as a living people.

Language

The Aramaic language has survived for over 3,000 years. Dialects include:

• Turoyo
• Western Neo-Aramaic
• Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (spoken by some, though linguistically a continuation of Aramaic rather than Assyrian)

Religion

Most modern Arameans are Christians. The largest church is the Syriac Orthodox Church, headed by the Patriarch of Antioch.

Traditional practices include:

• Use of Classical Syriac in liturgy
• The Qurbono (Holy Liturgy)
• Celebrations of saints such as Mor Ephrem the Syrian

Flag and Symbols

The modern Aramean flag features a golden eagle with a three-tongued flame, symbolizing the Holy Trinity, above a red background.

See also

• Syriac Orthodox Church
• Aramaic language
• Edessa (Mesopotamia)
• Christianity in the Middle East

External links

• Aramean Democratic Organization
• Suryoyo Online

Collapsed unsigned, unexplained copy of the article that appears to be from somewhere in the history. – Jonesey95 (talk) 15:25, 6 September 2025 (UTC)

Probably poor phrasing

'In the religious sphere of life, Aramaic-speaking Christians such as the Melkites in Palestine were Islamised'

As written, this would seems to suggest that all Melkites were Islamised, which clearly isn't true, since they still exist. Also, giving the Melkites of all groups as an example of 'Aramaic-speaking Christians' is odd, too, because the predominant denominations for local, Aramaic-speaking Christians were precisely not Melkite, but rather non-Chalcedonian (either Miaphysite or 'Nestorian'). It was in contradistinction to these latter groups that the Melkites were named. 62.73.72.101 (talk) 21:24, 29 October 2025 (UTC)