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Οι '''Λατίνοι''' ''(Latins)'' ήταν αρχαίος λαός της [[Ιταλία|Ιταλίας]] που ζούσαν στην περιοχή του [[Λάτιο]].
{{otheruses2|Latin}}
Οι Λατίνοι μετανάστευσαν στην κεντρική Ιταλία και στο Λάτιο την 2η χιλιετία π.χ. από την κεντρική Ευρώπη. Ζούσαν σε ανεξάρτητες πόλεις-κράτη αλλά είχαν κοινή γλώσσα, θρησκεία και λάτρευαν από κοινού τον [[Λατίνο]] σε ετήσια γιορτή. Πίστευαν ότι ήταν απόγονοι του Λατίνου γιου του [[Αινείας|Αινεία]], επίσης είχαν εμπορικές σχέσεις μεταξύ τους. Ένα από τα λατινικά κράτη, η [[Ρώμη]], το 341 π.χ. άρχισε σταδιακά να προσαρτήζει τα υπόλοιπα λατινικά πόλεις-κράτη δίνοντας τους ρωμαϊκή υπηκοότητα και ισονομία.
'''Latin''' is the name of various peoples or ethnicities related to the [[Latium]] region in the [[Italian Peninsula]], to the [[Latin language]], or to its descendants, the [[Romance languages]].
Στην [[Βυζαντινή αυτοκρατορία]] λατίνοι αποκαλούνταν όλοι οι δυτικό ευρωπαίοι,
==Antiquity==
{{further|[[Latin League]]}}
[[Κατηγορία:Αρχαίοι λαοί της Ιταλίας]]
The Latins were an [[ancient Italic peoples|ancient Italic people]] who migrated to the [[Latium]] region in central Italy, (''Latium Vetus'' - Old Latium), in the 2nd millennium B.C., from [[Central Europe]] ([[Urnfield Culture]]). Although they lived in independent [[city-states]], the Latins had a common language ([[Latin]]), common [[Roman mythology|religious beliefs]] and a close sense of kinship, expressed in the myth that they were all descendants of [[Latinus]], the father-in-law of [[Aeneas]]. Latinus was worshipped as [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter Latiaris]] on Mons Albanus ([[Monte Cavo]]) during an annual festival that was attended by all Latins, including [[Ancient Rome|Rome]], one of the Latin states. The Latin cities extended common right to residence and trade to one another. Rome's territorial ambitions united the rest of the Latins against it in [[341 BC]], but the final victory was on Rome's side in [[338 BC]]. Consequently some of the Latin states were incorporated within the Roman state, and their inhabitants were given full [[Roman citizenship]]. Others became Roman allies and enjoyed certain privileges.
[[Κατηγορία:Λάτιο]]
Gradually, with the spread of Roman power throughout [[Italy]] and Western Europe, 'Latin' ceased to be an ethnic term and became a legal category.
==Middle Ages==
{{further|[[Latin Rite]] and [[Western Christianity]].}}
In the [[Byzantine Empire]], "Latins" was a synonym of "Western Europeans", referring to all people of the [[Roman Catholic]] faith (which at the time included northern Europe as well). Today the Byzantine cultural successors ([[Greece]], [[Cyprus]]) also use "Latins" as a term for "Roman Catholics" in order to distinguish them from a member of the [[Greek Church]].
The term was later borrowed, in various variants, by several languages of the [[Middle East]] and southern [[Asia]], sometimes referring to any European.
== Modern uses ==
=== Latin as Latin European ===
{{main|Latin Europe|Latin European}}
Most commonly in [[Europe]], as a noun, the term “Latin” is applied to people from countries where [[Romance languages]] are spoken and so [[Italians]], [[Spaniards]], [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]], [[French people|French]], [[Catalan people|Catalans]] and [[Romanian people|Romanians]] are popularly called "Latins" by other Europeans because of their distinctive [[Romanization (cultural)|Roman]] roots.
In Canada, French-speaking [[Quebec]] is often considered to be inhabited by the "Latins of the North", though this usage is not very common outside of Quebec or French-speaking Europe.
=== Latin as Latino or Latin American ===
{{main|Latino|Latin America}}
In the [[United States]] Latin and Latino (from the Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese form of Latin) are often used as synonyms in referring to people from [[Latin America]] (the parts of America where Latin-derived languages are spoken, and where most of the population has Latin-European ancestry or have direct European roots). As a shortening of the term 'Latin America', "Latin" refers to an inhabitant of Latin America and not specifically to someone of Latin-European ancestry. In this sense, the term is used as an equivalent to terms like European, African, Asian, and Middle Eastern, which makes any woman from Latin America a "Latina" or in the case of man a "Latino", even if their ancestry is non-European.
== See also ==
* [[Franks (disambiguation)]]
* [[Latin Right]]
* [[Latin War]]
* [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census]]
== External links ==
* [http://www.suonidellaterra.com/ Musica del Lazio Latino ]
* [http://www.orbilat.com/General_Survey/Terms--Latins_and_Romans.html Distinguishing the terms:Latins and Romans]
[[Category:Ancient peoples of Italy]]
[[Category:Indo-European peoples]]
[[bg:Латини]]
[[cs:Latini]]
[[de:Latiner]]
[[en:Latins]]
[[es:Latinos]]
[[et:Latiinid]]
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