Origin of the Latin Language?

Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the Roman Republic it became the dominant language in the Italian region and subsequently throughout the Roman Empire.

1. Where did Latin language come from?
2. When did Latin language start?
3. Is Latin derived from Greek?
4. Is Latin older than Greek?

Where did Latin language come from?

Originally spoken by small groups of people living along the lower Tiber River, Latin spread with the increase of Roman political power, first throughout Italy and then throughout most of western and southern Europe and the central and western Mediterranean coastal regions of Africa.

When did Latin language start?

So, how old is Latin? To put it briefly — about 2,700 years old. The birth of Latin took place around 700 BC in a small settlement sloping up towards Palatine Hill. The speakers of this language were called Romans, after their legendary founder, Romulus.

Is Latin derived from Greek?

Did Latin originate from Greek? Also no. They do, however, share the same origin. Both Greek and Latin belong to branches of the Indo-European language family, which does not necessarily make them all too similar, since these two branches are radically different.

Is Latin older than Greek?

As the extant evidence of an historical culture, the ancient Greek language is centuries older than Latin. A recognizable form of Greek was spoken and written in the era of the Mycenaean Bronze Age, some 1500 years before the birth of Christ and the rule of Augustus Caesar.