For early epigraphy, see List of languages by first written accounts.
During this period, a number of classical languages inherited from earlier epochs remain in active use (Chinese, Sanskrit, Latin, Greek, Persian, Hebrew).
The same period also sees the rise of newly written vernaculars, partly replacing earlier literary languages (e.g. Old Hindi, Old French, Arabic, Germanic, Celtic, Turkic, etc.).
The vocalized Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible developed during the 7th to 10th centuries.
The Old English Beowulf is dated to anywhere between the 8th and early 11th centuries.