Luwian

Luwian refers to an ancient language of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European family, spoken by the Luwians in southwestern Anatolia during the late Bronze Age. The term can designate either the language itself or its speakers, the Luwians.

Geographically and historically, Luwian dialects were used across western and southern Anatolia, in regions such as Arzawa and surrounding areas. Luwian speech formed a major part of the linguistic mix in the western half of the Hittite sphere. Following the rise of the Hittite Empire, Luwian-speaking communities contributed to administrative and cultural life within its western and southern territories. After the empire’s decline, Luwian-speaking polities persisted as Neo-Hittite states into the early first millennium BCE.

Linguistically, Luwian was written in two main scripts. Cuneiform Luwian used a adapted form of Mesopotamian cuneiform in tablets and inscriptions associated with Hittite archives. Anatolian hieroglyphic Luwian, or Hieroglyphic Luwian, was used in monumental inscriptions in southwestern Anatolia. Together, these scripts yield a substantial corpus that informs the grammar, vocabulary, and historical relations among the Anatolian languages.

Luwian belongs to the Anatolian branch of Indo-European and is closely related to Hittite. It is generally described as agglutinative with extensive suffixation, featuring a rich nominal and verbal system. The language faded gradually in late antiquity, supplanted in most regions by Greek and later by Turkish. Modern scholarship treats Luwian as essential for understanding the early development of Anatolian languages and the broader history of ancient Anatolia.