Classical Latin

Classical Latin
LINGVA LATINA, lingua latina
Latin inscription in the Colosseum
Pronunciation	[laˈtiːnɪtaːs]
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 Italic Latino-Faliscan Latin Classical Latin
Early forms:	Old Latin Classical Latin
Writing system	Classical Latin alphabet
Official status
Official language in	Roman Republic, Roman Empire
Regulated by	Schools of grammar and rhetoric
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Linguist List	lat-cla
Linguasphere	51-AAB-aaa
The range of Latin, AD 60

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.