Aramaic (Classical Syriac: "Arāmāyā"; Old Aramaic: ; Imperial Aramaic: ; square script ) is a language that originated among the Aramaeans in the ancient region of Syria, at the end of the 2nd millennium BC, and later became one of the most prominent languages of the ancient Near East. During its three thousand years long history, Aramaic went through several stages of development. It has served as a language of public life and administration of ancient kingdoms and empires, and also as a language of divine worship and religious study. It subsequently branched into several Neo-Aramaic languages that are still spoken in modern times.