Ancient Greek Theatre in Italy

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

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Greek Theatre in Sicily and South Italy

In Sicily and Southern Italy, evidence for Greek theatrical activity – understood as performances in Greek in which the performers impersonate a character other than themselves – seems to go back to the early fifth century, predating Roman conquest by centuries (see Bosher 2012). It is, for instance, hard to overestimate the impact of Epicharmus, active in Syracuse at the time of the tyrant Hieron I (478-466 BC), on Attic comedy.

In Sicily and Southern Italy, evidence for Greek theatrical activity – understood as performances in Greek in which the performers impersonate a character other than themselves – seems to go back to the early fifth century, predating Roman conquest by centuries (see Bosher 2012). It is, for instance, hard to…

2013 words

Citation: Paillard, Elodie. "Ancient Greek Theatre in Italy". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 March 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19563, accessed 20 April 2024.]

19563 Ancient Greek Theatre in Italy 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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