Everyone has heard of Latin, but do you know old it is?
The Latin language is one of the oldest languages in the world, and it has great historical significance. Nowadays, many people refer to Latin as a “forgotten language,” but it is still alive in many parts of the world. And it was one of the most spoken languages of its time.
If you ever get a chance to learn Latin, you’ll find that this is a beautiful and eloquent language with a rich vocabulary.
You might be surprised to learn that the Latin language is around 2700 years old.
Latin and the Discovery of Rome
Latin is very old, and its origin dates back to 700 BC at Platine Hill. If you look back in history, you’ll see that Romans were the first Latin speakers. And those Romans were named after their founder “Romulus.”
In the beginning, Romans were not all that powerful and the population was not huge; there were less than a thousand Romans when the Roman Empire was in its initial stages. At that time, the Roman people lived in huts, worshiped their Gods, and spoke Latin . However, they were happy just doing their thing, just like many other small groups living in Italy at that time.
The Romans used to live in “Latinum”; they never called it Italy. It was not a nation but a small region. Latinum was a diverse region with many tribes and cultures, but they were identical to each other and had their language, religion, and culture.
Millions of people today speak English, French, or German, but these languages were not common at that time. However, the number of languages spoken at that time was a lot more than it is today. And many of those languages are dead today.
Have you ever wondered how Latin became dead over time?
Romans were the only ones who spoke Latin at that time, and they were not recognized as exceptional at that time. In the north, Etruscans were a recognized and powerful region of that time (present-day Tuscany). And Etruscans didn’t only stay in one region like Romans; instead, their empire expanded to and flourished in other cities and states.
Considering all of this, who would have thought that Latin would still be taught thousands of years later?
Old Latin
A language flourishes in a small group of people who don’t have much contact with other tribes. This is how the Romans lived at that time. History shows that Rome was discovered by two brothers, Remus and Romulus, in 753 BC. Some tales also show that these Roman twins were the sons of Mars.
One day, the two brothers started clashing constantly. At one point, Remus mocked the walls built by his brother, and Romulus lost his temper and killed his brother.
Many history scholars believe that Roman Empire was founded in the mid-8th century. And Latin was the first tongue of the people living there. Many historians also believe that the site of Palatine Hill was the Roman Square, also known as the heart of Rome. The site today stands as an ancient piece of Roman history, and you can visit it.
What Language Did Rome’s Founder Speak?
It is a well-known fact that the Latin language was founded by Romulus (the Roman founder). But the question arises: which language did he speak before creating Latin? There is no strong evidence that shows which language he spoke, but historians make the assumption that Romulus spoke the language of the neighboring regions. As such, Latin shares many similarities with the languages spoken by Rome’s neighbors, e.g., Umbrian and Oscan. If you compare manuscripts written in these languages, you’ll find great similarities in their grammar and vocabulary. However, these similarities don’t mean that these languages are the same.
Since all languages were concentrated in the same region, they are often referred to as “Italic” languages. The ways in which these languages were similar is still unclear, but historians believe that they exhibit some similarities, likely because they belonged to the same region.
Written Latin
Although cultures vary, the transformation and development of a language holds the same process, i.e., first speaking and then writing. From ancient times till now, language is first taught orally and then an alphabet is established, which takes a long time. Knowing this, it is easy to see why every language ascribes great importance to its literature. So, when did Romans begin to write in Latin?
For Latin, an alphabet was created rather quickly, and the first written Latin inscription is located in the Roman square of the 6th century. In this inscription, Latin letters are completely visible, and as such, it is considered the oldest written Latin inscription.
Expansion of the Roman Empire
After killing Remus, Romulus was the first king of the Roman Empire. Even once Rome was established as a monarchy, the empire was not all that powerful; in fact, it was dependent on its neighbor in the north, The Etruscans. Both regions traded with each other, and even some Roman emperors were Etruscan. The Roman people didn’t like being ruled by a foreign king, and this resulted in the downfall of Rome.
Rome acquired many small states during its monarchy after expanding its borders. They built new walls to enclose the Seven Hills of Rome. In this period, Romans became very powerful. The last Roman Emperor was Tarquin the Proud, and he was a Etruscan. After the death of Tarquin the Proud, the Roman Empire fell.
The Latin Language
As mentioned above, Italy comprises many different regions and thus people with different tongues. But most of these languages are dead in the present day, so the biggest question now is, How did they learn Latin? And how did Latin language disappear with time?
Learning Latin proved to be a difficult task as no schools were ready to teach Latin. Also, they didn’t have any manuscripts, books, or dictionaries for reference. Even Romans themselves were not at all interested in teaching Latin.
The first person who learned and wrote in Latin appeared in the 3rd century BC. He was the one who played an important role in the evolution of the Language. He also wrote a book called “De Agri Cultura.” Thanks to him, many people started learning and writing in Latin.
How Did Latin Spread?
Romans were highly skilled in two categories of jobs: farming and soldiering. Thus, farming and soldiering became the most important medium for spreading the language.
Romans started to capture nearby cities and small states, and they sent their soldiers there. As they began ruling the different regions, a huge number of people started speaking Latin, and this process continued for years.
Romans eventually created a central place for trade with non-roman states and to maintain contact with Roman regions. As numerous traders from different parts of the world started trading with Romans, they needed to learn Latin. And in this way, Latin reached even non-Roman countries.
Soon, the Latin language became so much popular that it was one of the most widely spoken languages of that time.
Classical Latin
We often compare Latin with the Barbarian language, which makes sense because Latin language was influenced by Greek. Before the interference of Greek, Latin was the most common language used for trading, and it was a strong language of that time.
But due to the interference of Greek, Latin writers turned their interests towards music and poetry, as a result of which, an artful accent appeared in the Latin language.
But later in the Roman Empire, certain improvements were made in the Latin language, and later Latin art pieces showed that it was a precise and eloquent language.
Influence of Latin Language
As one of the oldest languages, Latin influenced many other languages, and some of them are quite popular today. Many popular languages, like French, German, and English, use words that are derived from Latin. Among these languages, English is the most influenced by Latin because more than 70% of its words are derived from Latin.
Is Latin Still Alive?
Some years ago, Latin was one of the most widely spoken languages, and after Greek involvement, it rose to second (with Greek being the first). However, even after the collapse of the Roman Empire, Latin was widely used in the education system as it was one of the most established languages.
But if we look at present day, you will find that very few people know or speak Latin; this is because of the dominance of other languages. However, if you try to learn Latin today, you will have the chance to develop a better understanding of the past.
