The Arameans, or Aramaeans, were an ancient Semitic-speaking people in the Near East that was first recorded in historical sources from the late 12th century BC. The Aramean homeland, sometimes known as the land of Aram, encompassed central regions of modern Syria.
Sin zir Ibni inscription
Si Gabbor stele
Aramean king Hazael of Aram-Damascus
Illustration by Gustave Doré from the 1866 La Sainte Bible depicting an Israelite victory over the army of Ben-Hadad, described in 1 Kings 20:26–34
Old Aramaic refers to the earliest stage of the Aramaic language, known from the Aramaic inscriptions discovered since the 19th century.
Silver ingot of Bar-Rakib, son of Panammuwa II, King of Sam‘al (now called Zincirli Höyük).
The 4th century BC Letoon trilingual uses Greek, Lycian and Aramaic. Fethiye Museum.
Bilingual inscription (Greek and Aramaic) by Ashoka, third century BCE at Kandahar, Afghanistan
Mandaic magical "demon trap"