Syriac is a dialect of Aramaic which was a major literary language and lingua franca for most of the 1st millenium CE. It uses three scripts, known as Estrangela, Serto and Madnhaya - these may not display correctly on your computer without installing the correct Syriac files. Syriac is important for historical reasons, however it is still spoken, and is even more widely used for religious purposes on a weekly basis in the Syrian Orthodox Church, the Maronite Church and others. 

The Typography of Syriac has been widely documented and expertly treated by Chip Coakley and his continued practice at the Jericho Press is an invaluable resource for Taras Press.