September 16, 2019, by Emma Rayner

What did the Roman language ever do for us?

The legacy of the Latin language in western Europe is being explored in a new touring exhibition created by experts from LatinNow – a European-wide research project led by the University of Nottingham.

The VOCES POPVLI roadshow launched today, Monday 16th September, in Pamplona, Spain and will spend the next few weeks touring eleven further locations in Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The 6-country tour is showcasing the highlights of LatinNow’s research into the life and languages in Western Europe during Roman rule.

It’s a multi-lingual pop-up exhibition visiting universities, schools and museums along the way. Roman scholars from the project are on hand to tell the story of life under the Romans and its linguistic impact, using a fascinating series of 50 archaeological objects from the Roman West.

 

Leading the project, Dr Alex Mullen from the University of Nottingham’s Department of Classics and Archaeology, said: “The Romans did not conquer the western provinces overnight – it was a long, sometimes painful process. The Roman provincial world that was created was not the same everywhere, and the variety reflected in interesting ways the impact of local cultures and practices. We are revealing what happens when the local populations of the provinces encounter Roman rule, Latin and literacy and the effects on local languages, identities and culture. Visitors to the exhibition can discuss their local Roman histories with our experts, hear talks and even try their hand at Roman writing, decoding military messages and making a ‘curse tablet’.”

All the materials and activities are being offered in 6 languages – Catalan, English, Dutch, French, German and Spanish by the LatinNow team of multilingual experts.

The full details of the events can be found here: https://latinnow.eu/touring-exhibition. All events are free of charge and open to everyone.

 

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