Old Latin

Old Latin, also known as Early, Archaic or Priscan Latin (Classical Latin: [prīsca Latīnitās] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)), was the Latin language in the period roughly before 75 BC, i.e. before the age of Classical Latin. It descends from a common Proto-Italic language; Latino-Faliscan is likely a separate branch from Osco-Umbrian with possible further relation to other Italic languages and to Celtic; e.g. the Italo-Celtic hypothesis.

Old Latin
Priscan Latin
The Duenos inscription, one of the earliest Old Latin texts
Native to	Latium, later the Roman Kingdom and Republic
Region	Italy
Ethnicity	Latins, Romans
Era	Attested since 7th century BC. Developed into Vulgar Latin as colloquial form, and Classical Latin as literary form, around 75 BC.
Language family	Indo-European Italic Latino-Faliscan Old Latin
Early forms:	Proto-Indo-European Proto-Italic Proto-Latino-Faliscan Old Latin
Writing system	Old Italic script before it evolved into the Latin alphabet
Official status
Official language in	Rome
Regulated by	Schools of grammar and rhetoric
Language codes
ISO 639-3	None
Linguist List	qbb
Expansion of the Roman Republic during the 2nd century BC. Very little Latin is likely to have been spoken beyond the green area, and other languages were spoken even within it.

The use of "old", "early" and "archaic" has been standard in publications of Old Latin writings since at least the 18th century. The definition is not arbitrary, but the terms refer to spelling conventions and word forms not generally found in works written under the Roman Empire. This article presents some of the major differences.

Old Latin Media

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  The Praeneste Fibula, the earliest known specimen of the Latin language and dated to the first half of the seventh century BC.

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  The Forum inscription (Lapis Niger, "black stone"), one of the oldest known Latin inscriptions, from the 6th century BC; it is written boustrophedon, albeit irregularly; from a rubbing by Domenico Comparetti.

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  The Duenos Inscription on a trio of three globular kernos vases

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  Diphthong changes from Old Latin (left) to Classical Latin (right)