Late Latin
written Latin of late antiquity
Late Latin is a form of Latin that was written between Classical Latin and Medieval Latin. Scholars do not agree on the exact dates, but it was used from about the 3rd century to the 6th or 7th century CE. There are no exact dates for when Late Latin replaced Classical Latin or when it was replaced by Medieval Latin.
Late Latin | |
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Latinitas serior | |
Native to | (Western) Roman Empire, Ostrogothic Kingdom, Gallic Empire |
Region | Mare Nostrum region |
Era | 3rd to 6th centuries; developed into Medieval Latin |
Indo-European
| |
Early forms | |
Latin | |
Official status | |
Official language in | Both Roman Empires (Later replaced with Koine Greek in the East) |
Regulated by | Schools of grammar and rhetoric |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | – |
Glottolog | late1252 |
The Late-Latin speaking world, 271 CE |
Late Latin is a written language, which is also different from Vulgar Latin, which was a spoken language. Late Latin was used and taught by the Church Fathers, who also used it for their theological writings.