The Golden Age of Roman Drama
All dates B.C.
240 Beginning of Latin Literature
Livius Andronicus adapted a Greek comedy and tragedy for performance on a Roman stage.
240 B.C. was not only the beginning of Greek drama in Rome, but of formal Latin literature. This coincides with the end of the First Punic War (264-241) which is relevant because with the Punic War, Romans came into contact with the Greeks of Southern Italy and Sicily. Instead of being concerned entirely with mastering their physical world, the Romans were now becoming a world power. In addition to adapting Greek drama, Livius Andronicus also translated the Odyssey into Latin. (Duckworth p. 3.)
239 Ennius born.
238 Floralia celebrated.
235 Beginning of Roman Drama Naevius (270-201) begins to exhibit his drama.
- Naevius was the first native Roman dramatist.
- Naevius had served in the First Punic War and wrote a Bellum Punicum (Punic War).
- Naevius was interested in the Trojan cycle.
- Naevius also wrote plays on Roman themes and is thus the inventor of the fabula praetexta - Roman historical play.
- Naevius also wrote comedies (fabulae palliatae).
- Naevius was imprisoned for being outspoken, wrote two plays while confined, apologized, was released, did it again, and went into exile in Utica where he died.
219 Pacuvius born. Caecilius Statius born.
211 Mime in Rome
We don't know when mime first came to Rome, but by 211, the Romans were watching mimic actors. Mimes were normal parts of the Floralia (an annual festival from 173) which was first celebrated in 238. The word mime is from the Greek mimeisthai (to imitate). Romans often called mimic actors planipes (with bare feet) (Duckworth p. 14). The bare feet let the mimic actors, male and female, move around better than actors wearing tragedy's cothurnus (buskin) or comedy's soccus (slipper).
204 Roman Satire
Ennius (239-169 B.C.) fought in the second Punic War. Cato brought him to Rome. There Ennius worked as a teacher and writer. He wrote poems called Saturae and an epic, the Annales. Ennius replaced the dactylic hexameter of Greek epic with the Saturnian Latin meter. He wrote comedies, and fabulae praetextae, and most of all, tragedy.
201 Naevius dies (?).
200 Plautus Stichus. Caecilius Statius (c. 219-168 B.C.) taken as prisoner or brought as slave to Rome.
Plautus (T. Maccius Plautus [254-184]) was an Umbrian. At Rome he acted as a clown in Atellan farces. His name Maccius may come from this occupation. Plautus may also be a stage name and a variation on the word planipes. Plautus worked in the theater in some capacity and may have been a stage hand or carpenter. Duckworth provides a rough chronology of his comedies: Asinaria, Mercator, Miles Gloriosus around 205 B.C., Cistellaria, before 201. Stichus (200 B.C.) Aulularia and Curculio before 191. Pseudolus (191) and then Bacchides, followed by Casina in 185 or 184.
An Insubrian Gaul, Caecilius Statius was a friend of Ennius and, according to Volcacius Sedigitus, was the best of the Roman comic poets. Caecilius stuck close to Greek originals, but was not a literal translator. Horace praised Caecilius for his gravitas. Varro praised his plot construction. Although an argument from silence, Caecilius may have introduced the idea of avoiding contamination -- meaning following only one Greek original (Duckworth, p.48).
191 Plautus Pseudolus.
189 Ennius goes with Fulvius into Aetolia.
185 Terence born in Carthage.
184 Plautus dies.
173 Ennius wrote the twelfth book of the Annales.
170 Accius born.
169 Ennius dies.
166 Terence - Andria.
165 Terence - Hecyra.
163 Terence - Hautontimorumenos.
161 Terence - Eunuchus and Phormio.
160 Terence - Adelphoe.
159 Terence dies.
154 Pacuvius (220-130) flourished.
Pacuvius was the nephew of Ennius. We know of thirteen of his tragedies. His ancient reputation was "learned." Cicero considered Pacuvius the greates tragic poet of Rome.
148 Lucilius born.
140 Accius (170-86) and Pacuvius exhibit together.
Accius was the most prolific Roman tragedian. He wrote plays based on Greek tragedy and Roman historical themes. Velleius Paterculus thought Accius was the greatest Roman tragic poet.
The End of the Golden Age of Roman Drama.
Sources: George E. Duckworth The Nature of Roman Comedy. Richard C. Beacham The Roman Theatre and Its Audience. A History of Roman Literature: From the Earliest Period to the Death of Marcus Aurelius, by Charles Thomas Cruttwell (1877).
The URL for this feature is http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_time_romandramagoldenage.htm
The Golden Age of Roman Drama Timeline Resources
• Fescennine Verse
• Terence
• Plautus
• Roots of Satire
• Cato
• Punic War I
• Second Punic War
• Trojan Cycle
• Elegiac Couplet and Dactylic hexameter
