![]() Areas developed their own ways of interspersing Latin with other languages spoken by individuals within that area. The term ‘vulgar’ is not used here as we know it today – instead it means simply ‘of the masses’, given that the varying dialects of Latin throughout the Roman Empire were largely spoken by people day to day, rather than constituting a formal written or officially designated language. Vulgar Latin is a widespread umbrella term used to describe the many dialects of Latin that evolved throughout the Roman Empire’s complex network of cities and provinces. Vulgar Latin Golden fibula from the Regolini-Galassi tomb, c. Celtic was spoken by many citizens of Gaul including France, Belgium, Switzerland, Northwest Italy. For example, Syria and Mesopotamia used Aramaic language, Antioch citizens used Syrian, Carthaginians used Punic, and the Ancient Egyptians used Coptic. Meanwhile the cities and provinces throughout the empire each had their own languages and dialects according to various internal and external influences. These were gradually taken over by Latin as the empire grew. During the earliest days of the Roman Empire, the ancient native languages of Etruscan, Punic and Gallic still existed. While Latin and Greek were the predominant languages across the Roman Empire, particularly for political and military purposes, it is worth noting that there were also numerous other languages that remained active amongst ordinary working people, most notably for use in everyday communications. Meanwhile, much like Latin, the medieval versions of Greek evolved and changed over time, eventually leading to the modern Greek of today.ĭifferent Regions Had their Own Languages Faience polyhedron inscribed with letters of the Greek alphabet, 2nd–3rd century A.D., via the Met Museum. Following the collapse of the western Roman Empire, Greek took over as the dominant language in the Byzantine regions. Many Romans of the higher classes in both Eastern and Western factions were fluent in both Latin and Greek, particularly Roman Emperors. ![]() It was predominantly used by ancient Romans for spoken and written diplomatic communication, and became a common language amongst Bishops and Christian leaders. The Greek language was particularly widespread in the Eastern Byzantine area of the Roman Empire. Schmidt, 1912, via Meibohm Fine Arts.Īlongside Latin, Greek was also a prevalent language in ancient Rome, with historical roots in ancient Greece. ![]() ![]() Greek Cicero’s Speech Attacking Catilina in the Roman Senate by Hans W. The stone was etched with an archaic form of Latin, which dates from roughly the 6 th century BC, but this appears very different to the forms of Latin in the later centuries of the Roman Empire. One of the earliest surviving examples of Latin in ancient Rome is the Black Stone, which was inscribed with a language that looks similar to Greek. Generally speaking, Latin in the western Roman Empire is divided roughly into the following three categories: Old Latin, which emerged in around 75 BC, Classical Latin, prevalent from 75 BC to 200 CE, and Vulgar Latin, from 200 CE and 900 CE. It is worth noting that this was not a fixed version of Latin – the language evolved over time, and changed according to the dialects of different regions, which each had their own external influences from other countries, communities and empires. Latin was the overriding language, or the ‘Lingua franca’ of Western Mediterranean Rome at the peak of the Roman Empire, particularly for imperial administration, legislation and military language. Latin Was the Most Common Language A bronze collar tag for a slave with a Latin inscription, the translation is as follows: “Hold me so that I do not escape and return me to my master Viventius on the estate of Callistus,” 4th century AD, via British Museum
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