"
Greek East" and "
Latin West" are terms used to distinguish between the two parts of the
Greco-Roman world, specifically the eastern regions where
Greek was the
lingua franca, and the western parts where
Latin filled this role. During the
Roman Empire a divide had persisted between Latin- and Greek-speaking areas; this divide was encouraged by administrative changes in the empire's structure between the 3rd and 5th centuries, which led ultimately to the establishment of separate
Eastern and
Western halves of the Empire.