Livius Andronicus

Livius Andronicus (li'vēus ăndrunī'kus) [key], fl. 3d cent. B.C., Roman poet, a Greek, b. Tarentum (Taranto). He was captured and made a slave at the fall of Tarentum and was freed by his master, a Livian noble, hence his name. Later he became a teacher and an actor. He introduced Greek literature into Rome, translating the Odyssey and adapting Greek plays that he first produced in c.240 B.C. Sometimes called the founder of Roman drama, he composed and acted in the first comedy and the first tragedy in Latin (both adopted from Greek models). Only fragments of his works remain.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

• • Cite
  • Print