Why did Latin replace Oscan as Pompeii's official language?
Latin replaced Oscan as the official language of Pompeii primarily as a consequence of the Social War.
During this conflict, Pompeii joined other Italian allies in a revolt against Rome. In 89 BCE, the Roman general Lucius Cornelius Sulla besieged the city. Following the war, although Pompeii and other regions south of the Po River were granted Roman citizenship, the city faced punitive measures for its participation in the uprising. As part of this punishment, a colony of Roman veterans was established in Pompeii under the leadership of Publius Sulla. This administrative change facilitated the rapid Romanization of the city’s institutions, architecture, and culture, leading to the displacement of the Oscan language by Latin in official use.1