The Forgotten Language of the Osci: Uncovering the History of Oscan

Oscan was an ancient Italic language spoken by the Osci, a group of tribes that lived in southern Italy, particularly in the region of Campania and Samnium, during the Roman Republic. It was closely related to Latin, but had some distinct differences in grammar and vocabulary.

The Osci were one of the earliest groups of people to come into contact with the Romans, and their language likely influenced the development of Latin. In fact, many scholars believe that Oscan was the language spoken by the ancient Romans before they adopted Latin as their official language.

Despite its importance in the history of the Italian language, very little Oscan literature has survived to the present day. The majority of our knowledge of the language comes from inscriptions and other written records, such as the Puteoli tablets, which are a collection of documents written in Oscan that were discovered in the ruins of an ancient city near Naples.

Overall, Oscan is an important part of the history of the Italian language, and it continues to be studied by scholars today as a way to better understand the development of Latin and the evolution of the Italian language.