Elegantiae linguae latinae

Elegantiae linguae Latinae (Elegances of the Latin Language) was a textbook written by Lorenzo Valla in the 15th century. It was the first Latin grammar textbook since late antiquity and became widely popular in European grammar schools. Valla, an Italian humanist, aimed to revive classical Latin and criticized the medieval traditions and the "barbarous Latin" used by some scholars of his time. The textbook emphasized the importance of studying classical authors directly and mastering Latin grammar and rhetoric to achieve eloquence. Valla's work was part of the broader Renaissance movement that sought to recover and re-evaluate the cultural heritage of ancient Greece and Rome.123