Here's a breakdown:
Sanskrit:
* Earliest attested records: The earliest known inscriptions in Sanskrit date back to the 4th century BCE.
* Historical significance: Sanskrit is considered a liturgical language and is the source language for many other languages in South Asia.
* Development: It's believed to have developed from a Proto-Indo-Aryan language, which itself evolved from Proto-Indo-European.
* Relationship to other languages: Sanskrit is related to languages like Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, and many others.
Tamil:
* Earliest attested records: The oldest inscriptions in Tamil are from the 3rd century BCE.
* Historical significance: Tamil is one of the oldest surviving Dravidian languages and has a rich literary tradition.
* Development: It's believed to have developed from Proto-Tamil, which itself evolved from Proto-Dravidian.
* Relationship to other languages: Tamil is related to languages like Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, and others.
Conclusion:
Based on written records, Sanskrit and Tamil have almost identical antiquity. The earliest attested records for both languages are from around the 3rd-4th century BCE. However, this doesn't necessarily mean they both originated at the same time.
Here's the challenge:
* Proto-languages: The Proto-Indo-Aryan and Proto-Dravidian languages from which Sanskrit and Tamil evolved, respectively, likely existed centuries before the first written records.
* Oral tradition: Both languages likely had long oral traditions before being written down, making it impossible to determine an exact origin date.
In essence:
Both Sanskrit and Tamil are incredibly ancient languages with rich histories. Declaring one "more ancient" than the other is difficult and ultimately depends on how you interpret the available evidence. They are both fascinating examples of the long and complex history of human language.