The Psammetichus Experiment
Nation Involved: Egypt
Time Period: Between 664 to 610 BCE
Psammetichus was an Egyptian Pharoah who ruled from 664 to 610 BCE. He is sort of a forgettable ruler, but he did do a lot for Egypt, including many attempts at partnerships and peace with local nation-states. However, his biggest claim to fame is the psychological experiment that bears his name. He wanted to know if humans were born with the ability to speak, and if so, what language would they use? To find out, two infants were used.
They would be brought up in a remote territory by a shepherd, who was told to never speak around the children. The children began to speak after roughly 2 years. The word they began using most was “becos,” which is the Phyrian word for “bread.” It led to the Pharoah assuming the natural language for people must be Phyrian. There is so much wrong here that we do not know where to begin. Yet other similar experiments would be done by governments for years after this over many centuries.