History of Latin explained to kids

Latin is a language that was spoken in ancient Rome. It is a member of the Italic family of languages. Latin was the official language of the Roman Empire. It is also the language of the Catholic Church. Latin is studied as a second language by people all over the world. The history of Latin can be divided into three parts. The first part is the history of the Latin language. The second part is the history of the people who spoke Latin. The third part is the history of the literature written in Latin. The first part of the history of Latin begins with the origins of the Latin language. Latin is a member of the Indo-European family of languages. This family includes English, Spanish, French, and Russian. Latin is related to the Celtic languages and to Greek. The Latin language was first spoken in central Italy. The earliest known inscriptions in Latin date from the 6th century BC. The Latin alphabet was developed from the Etruscan alphabet. The Latin alphabet is the alphabet that is used today in English and many other languages. The Latin language was first written down in the 1st century BC. The earliest known Latin literature is the poetry of the Roman poet Virgil. Virgil wrote the Aeneid, an epic poem about the Trojan War. The second part of the history of Latin is the history of the people who spoke Latin. The first Latin-speaking people were the Romans. The Romans conquered most of the Mediterranean world. This made Latin the language of government and commerce. The Roman Empire fell in the 5th century AD. After that, Latin was spoken mainly in the Catholic Church. Latin was the official language of the Catholic Church until the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. The third part of the history of Latin is the history of the literature written in Latin. Latin literature includes the writings of the Roman poets Virgil and Horace. It also includes the plays of Plautus and Terence. The greatest Latin writer is the philosopher Cicero. Latin literature was very important in the Middle Ages. Many Medieval scholars knew Latin. They used it to write works on philosophy, theology, and science. Latin continued to be used as a language of scholarship in the Renaissance. The greatest Renaissance Latin writer is the poet Dante. Dante’s Divine Comedy is one of the greatest works of literature in any language. Today, Latin is studied as a second language by people all over the world.