The literature of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire were written in the Latin|Latin language. The periods of '''Latin literature''' are conventionally divided into "Golden" Latin, or Golden Age of Latin Literature|Golden Age, which covers approximately the period from the start of the first century BC up to the mid-first century AD, and Silver Latin, which covers the remainder of the Classical period. Anything after the mid-second century comes under the blanket description of "late" Latin literature, and tends to be studied for the light it sheds on the development of Latin into the Romance languages rather than for its literary merit (though there are exceptions, e.g. Augustine of Hippo.)