Re: [tied] countries, languages , XX! centuries

> Dear altamix: I imagine that some of the people in the occupied countries
of
> the Roman Empire had dealings with Roman legionaries and had to learn
Latin,
> and others learned it from them because it was to their advantage--like
> people today learning English because of tourism and business. The
> difference was that they didn't learn it in schools, as you point out, but
> one from another. Later, of course, there were schools. I hope this helps.

Dear Anne,

I have not so much ideea about schools in Gaul, Iberia, Pannonia or Moesia.
But i cann definitely tell you in Dacia there were no schools.At least not
in the roman time.
In a way it is amassing to imagine yourself this pitoresque picture:
- a group of conquested peasants beeing somewhere in a castrum for some
bussines and talking with the soldiers.
When they come back to thier land and next day they are going for
agricultural purpouses off door, they will have to exercise among them the
words "heard " from the soldiers. I intentionately say just soldiers and not
"latin soldiers"  due the compositions of the roman legions where there the
people barely could understand latin:)))
It is funny, and i guess it never happend.. But until we will have a
contrary probe we have to addmit, yes indeed, the romans
conquested some teritorries, they took all the people, made love with all
the women, gave birth to a new genration, at the day-time they were working
hard
and in evening they were all together on a nice place, learning latin .. Too
idilic to be true:)))

Best Regards,

A. Moeller

Hi!

I think you are forgetting all the mercenaries that joined the Roman army for a certain time after which many of them went back to their old place.

I am sure they had to learn Latin to be able to work as soldiers.

We think we travel much in our days.

It was no different in those days even if they had no airplanes and travelled slower. One advantage was that they saw much more.

I can see that from my own home country Gotland that when Gotland was the trading and cultural center in the Baltic area people travelled far.

We are talking about the period Bronze age to 15th century. Gotlands decline started in the 14th century and the formation of the Hanseatic league in 1358 was the start of the final blow to Gotlands dominance.

Tore

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