Classical Latin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Classical Latin |
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LINGVA LATINA, lingua latina | |
Latin inscription in the Colosseum
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Native to | Roman Republic, Roman Empire |
Region | Mare Nostrum region |
Era | 75 BC to AD 3rd century, when it developed into Late Latin |
Language family |
Indo-European
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Early forms: |
Old Latin
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Writing system | Classical Latin alphabet |
Official status | |
Official language in | Roman Republic, Roman Empire |
Regulated by | Schools of grammar and rhetoric |
Linguist List | lat-cla |
Linguasphere | 51-AAB-aaa |
The range of Latin, AD 60
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Classical Latin is the form of Latin that was used by the ancient Romans in official Roman record-keeping, the Roman military, and Latin literature. Its use helped the Golden Age of Latin literature during the 1st century BC and the early 1st century AD.
Classical Latin is a dead language, as is Vulgar Latin, the common speech of citizens in the Roman Empire. It is not spoken as a first language anymore. However, it is still spoken by church officials in the Vatican, where it is the official language.
Images for kids
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Marcus Tullius Cicero, after whom Teuffel named his Ciceronian period of the Golden Age
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Marcus Aurelius, emperor over the last generation of classicists and himself a classicist.
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Classical Latin Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.