Learning Latin, Greek and Hebrew in Rome

August 26, 2012. During the summer, many students decided to learn a new language. English may be the most popular, but others choose to learn so called 'dead languages.'   

Reading texts in Latin, Greek and Hebrew  is possible, but students go further. They also learn to speak the languages as if they were modern languages. 

A total of 88 students from all over the world, came to Rome precisely to study these language courses. It's unique because here, under one same roof, students are taught different levels of Latin, Ancient Greek and Hebrew. 

Even though they are considered 'dead languages,' here they make an effort to preserve  them, since they are the base of our civilization. 



Director of the Polis Institute (Jerusalem)

“The situation is the following one, we have like the whole library of Alexandria which is locked- we have lost the key of that library of Alexandria, and the key is the knowledge of ancient languages. Either we know those ancient languages or we don't have access to all this wealth of texts that are the ground of our civilization.”

The teaching technique is unique. Instructors make an effort to teach the language as if it were a modern one, and that includes a total immersion from day one. 



Moderator Circuli Latini Matritensis

“It's very useful to learn this way because it's much more fun and efficient. The students have all different levels, there are those with some prior knowledge, while others have to start from scratch. It's an approach to learning a language that is very playful, even though it may be a dead language, we enjoy it in the classroom.”

One could argue, learning these languages may not be very useful. But interestingly, this year, the number of enrolled students doubled. Next year roughly 100 are expected.

Administrator Name