The first Latin inscriptions appear in the third century BC, contemporary with the Roman conquest during the Punic Wars, and a small number of Oscan inscriptions are found at Messina during the same period, erected by the Campanian mercenaries who occupied the city (see inscription 2). Greek epigraphy became steadily more common on the island from the third century BC onwards, while Latin epigraphy, in common with the wider Roman empire, became frequent from the first century BC onwards and during the Principate. During the first four centuries of the Roman empire, Latin epigraphy was the most common on the island, although the use of Greek remained widespread (see inscription 9), and there are occasional examples of the use of Hebrew (see inscription 32). The volume of inscriptions begins to decrease by the fourth century, and Greek epigraphy again becomes more common than Latin during the Byzantine period (fifth-seventh centuries AD).