Early Latin in Latium
Latin develops among Italic-speaking communities around Rome.
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The Illustrated History of Latin
From a local language of ancient Italy to the language of Roman power, medieval universities, Renaissance scholarship, modern science and today's church, classroom and scientific names. Latin's history continues into the present.
Latin in five milestones
The big picture first. Explore the detailed timeline below for dates, people and definitions.
700 BC
500 BC
AD 1
AD 500
AD 1000
AD 1500
AD 2000
Before 500 BC
Latin began as a local language in central Italy.
500 BC–AD 200
Roman expansion carried Latin across a vast empire.
AD 200–800
Spoken Latin gradually developed into languages such as Spanish, French and Italian.
AD 800–1700
Latin remained important in education, religion, law and scholarship.
AD 1700–today
Latin survives in study, scientific naming and some religious settings.
Language periods
Old Latin700 BC–75 BC
Classical Latin75 BC–AD 200
Late LatinAD 200–AD 600
Medieval LatinAD 600–AD 1500
New / Modern LatinAD 1500–AD present
Latin language tradition700 BC–AD present
The second row shows overlapping traditions: Vulgar Latin was everyday speech, not a successor to Classical Latin. Its regional varieties gradually developed into Romance languages.
700 BC to the present
Click and drag left or right to travel through history. Select a term on an event card to jump to its definition.
Ancient and Classical Latin
Late and Medieval Latin
Renaissance and Scientific Latin
Twelve Tables
An early landmark of written Roman law.
Early Latin literature
Plautus and other writers develop literary Latin.
Classical Latin
Roman Empire
Imperial expansion helps spread Latin across provinces.
Spoken Latin changes
Regional everyday varieties develop over generations.
Jerome's Vulgate
Latin becomes foundational in Western Christian scripture.
Western empire ends
Latin survives the fall of western imperial government.
Carolingian Renaissance
Charlemagne's era supports Latin education and copying.
University Latin
Latin serves medieval scholarship and teaching.
Thomas Aquinas
Philosophy and theology are written in Medieval Latin.
Printing and humanism
Classical models and Latin books spread through Europe.
Copernicus
A major astronomy work appears in Latin.
Newton's Principia
An influential physics work is published in Latin.
Linnaean naming
Latinized two-part species names become established.
Vatican II begins
Church reforms expand vernacular worship while retaining Latin.
Latin today
Latin remains in church life, taxonomy, scholarship and active study.
The timeline uses approximate dates for long changes and specific dates for selected historical events. Latin did not disappear when the western Roman Empire ended.
How Latin reached the present
Spoken Latin gradually developed into the Romance languages, while written Latin continued as a language of learning, religion, law and international communication. Renaissance scholars revived classical models; scientists wrote important books in Latin; and Latinized scientific names became an enduring worldwide convention. Today Latin remains an official and liturgical language of the Catholic Church, a subject of study, and a language used by enthusiasts for new writing and conversation.
Definitions: people, periods and terms
Each explanation begins with the simplest meaning, then connects it to Latin's development.
Indo-European
A large language family whose members descend from an ancient ancestral language.
Why it matters: Latin belongs to its Italic branch; English belongs to its Germanic branch.
↑ Back to timelineItalic languages
A branch of Indo-European languages spoken in ancient Italy.
Why it matters: Latin became the dominant Italic language as Rome expanded.
↑ Back to timelineLatium
A region of west-central Italy around Rome.
Why it matters: Latin began as the local language of Latium.
↑ Back to timelineRome
An ancient city on the River Tiber in Italy.
Why it matters: Rome's political expansion carried Latin far beyond Latium.
↑ Back to timelineOld Latin
The earliest recorded stage of Latin, before Classical Latin.
Why it matters: Inscriptions and early literature show how Latin was written before the first century BC.
↑ Back to timelineTwelve Tables
An early written collection of Roman laws, traditionally dated to about 450 BC.
Why it matters: They are an important landmark in the history of Roman legal language.
↑ Back to timelinePlautus
A Roman comic playwright active around the late third and early second centuries BC.
Why it matters: His plays preserve examples of early literary Latin.
↑ Back to timelineCicero
A Roman politician, orator and writer (106–43 BC).
Why it matters: His prose became a model for Classical Latin style.
↑ Back to timelineVirgil
A Roman poet (70–19 BC), author of the Aeneid.
Why it matters: His poetry became central to Latin literary education.
↑ Back to timelineClassical Latin
The prestigious literary form of Latin associated especially with the late Roman Republic and early Empire.
Why it matters: Its grammar and style remained models for writers and students for centuries.
↑ Back to timelineRoman Republic
The Roman state before emperors ruled it, conventionally dated 509–27 BC.
Why it matters: Its expansion spread Latin across Italy and the Mediterranean.
↑ Back to timelineRoman Empire
The Roman state under emperors, conventionally beginning in 27 BC.
Why it matters: Imperial government, soldiers, commerce and cities spread Latin widely.
↑ Back to timelineVulgar Latin
A modern scholarly term for everyday spoken Latin varieties.
Why it matters: These changing varieties developed into the Romance languages.
↑ Back to timelineRomance languages
Languages descended from spoken Latin.
Why it matters: They include Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Romanian and others.
↑ Back to timelineLatin inscription
Latin words carved or written on a durable surface.
Why it matters: Inscriptions document ordinary names, laws, monuments and changes in Latin usage.
↑ Back to timelineVulgate
A Latin translation of the Bible associated especially with Jerome around AD 400.
Why it matters: It became a major text of Western Christianity and influenced later Latin usage.
↑ Back to timelineJerome
A Christian scholar and translator (about AD 347–420).
Why it matters: He translated much of the Bible into Latin and revised earlier Latin biblical texts.
↑ Back to timelineWestern Roman Empire
The western portion of the Roman imperial government, traditionally said to end in AD 476.
Why it matters: Latin continued to be written and spoken after western imperial rule ended.
↑ Back to timelineMedieval Latin
Latin written and used in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Why it matters: It served churches, schools, diplomacy, law and scholarship alongside developing vernacular languages.
↑ Back to timelineVernacular
The everyday language spoken by a community.
Why it matters: Medieval writers used Latin alongside vernaculars such as Old English, French and Italian.
↑ Back to timelineCarolingian Renaissance
A revival of learning and manuscript copying in the eighth and ninth centuries under Carolingian rulers.
Why it matters: It helped standardize written Latin and preserve ancient texts.
↑ Back to timelineCharlemagne
King of the Franks and later emperor (died AD 814).
Why it matters: His court sponsored education and reforms in Latin literacy.
↑ Back to timelineScholasticism
A medieval tradition of structured philosophical and theological argument.
Why it matters: Scholars used Latin to teach and debate in European universities.
↑ Back to timelineThomas Aquinas
A thirteenth-century philosopher and theologian (1225–1274).
Why it matters: He wrote influential works in Medieval Latin.
↑ Back to timelineRenaissance Latin
Latin cultivated by Renaissance humanists with renewed attention to classical models.
Why it matters: Writers used it for literature, education, diplomacy and scholarship.
↑ Back to timelineHumanism
A Renaissance educational movement emphasizing classical languages and texts.
Why it matters: Humanists studied and edited Latin authors and promoted classical Latin style.
↑ Back to timelinePrinting press
A machine for producing many copies of text using movable type.
Why it matters: Printing spread standardized Latin books, grammars and scholarly works.
↑ Back to timelineNeo-Latin
Latin written after the medieval period, especially from the Renaissance onward.
Why it matters: It remained an international language for science, philosophy and literature.
↑ Back to timelineScientific Latin
Latin used to communicate research and name scientific concepts.
Why it matters: Scientists published major works in Latin well into the early modern period.
↑ Back to timelineCopernicus
A Renaissance astronomer (1473–1543).
Why it matters: His 1543 book on the motion of heavenly bodies was written in Latin.
↑ Back to timelineNewton
Isaac Newton, an English mathematician and physicist (1642–1727).
Why it matters: His 1687 Principia was published in Latin.
↑ Back to timelineLinnaeus
Carl Linnaeus, an eighteenth-century naturalist (1707–1778).
Why it matters: His classification work helped establish Latinized scientific naming conventions.
↑ Back to timelineBinomial nomenclature
The two-part scientific naming system for species.
Why it matters: Names such as Homo sapiens are Latin or Latinized and remain in worldwide use.
↑ Back to timelineEcclesiastical Latin
Latin used in Christian church life, especially the Roman Catholic Church.
Why it matters: It continues in liturgy, church documents, music and education.
↑ Back to timelineSecond Vatican Council
A major council of the Catholic Church held from 1962 to 1965.
Why it matters: It permitted wider use of vernacular languages in worship while retaining Latin in the Latin Church's tradition.
↑ Back to timelineHoly See
The central governing authority of the Catholic Church, associated with the pope.
Why it matters: Latin remains a language of official church documents and institutions.
↑ Back to timelineLiving language
A language actively acquired and used for communication.
Why it matters: Latin is not generally a community's native everyday language today, but people still speak, teach, publish and worship in it.
↑ Back to timelineModern Latin
Latin used in the modern era, including Neo-Latin writing and present-day institutional, academic and spoken uses.
Why it matters: Its history continues through new terminology, instruction and contemporary communication.
↑ Back to timelineBC
Before Christ: the traditional designation for years before AD 1.
Why it matters: 500 BC means roughly five centuries before AD 1.
↑ Back to timelineAD
Anno Domini, Latin for “in the year of the Lord.”
Why it matters: AD 400 denotes the year 400 in the traditional era numbering system.
↑ Back to timelineCE
Common Era, an alternative label for AD years.
Why it matters: AD 2026 and 2026 CE identify the same year.
↑ Back to timeline