1. TERENCE (185-159)

2. Terentius Afer

3. LIFE • Born in Cartage • Educated by Terentius Lucanus • Part of Scipio’s circle of intellectuals • In 160 T. leaves Rome setting for Greece, and never comes back.

5. LIFE (deconstructed) • Cartage: cf. Africanus • Involvement: with aristocratic circles • Time of intense Roman contact with mainland Greek civilization

6. Terentius Lucanus • Senator • owned • then freed Terence • giving him his name

7. Scipio Africanus Minor • son of L. Aemilius Paulus, • adopted by the older Africanus • Terence is believed to have known him

8. Lucius Aemilius Paulus • In 168 BCE wins the decisive battle of the Third Macedonian War • Booty: 250 wagons of artifacts • Greek art becomes fashionable among aristocracy

9. Cultural background • 186 Worship of Bacchus suppressed • 173: Epicurean philosophers banished from Rome • But not without opposition

10. Plays • Andria (166 BCE) • Hecyra (165, 160) • Heauton Timorumenos (163) • Eunuchus (161) • Phormio (161) • Adelphi (160)

11. Pattern • Young man falls in love but cannot marry until obstacles are overcome • & a side-plot • Focus on relationships & misunderstandings • Interest in human nature; homo sum humani nil a me alienum puto.

12. “CONTAMINATION” • Contaminatio has been practiced by Naevius, Plautus and Ennius (An. 15ff) • — Terence’s art pleases the elite and he is proud of it (Ad. 15 ff) • —Terence uses in his compositions the method of contaminatio, a practice of combining several Greek models into one Roman adaptation. Naevius, Plautus and Ennius did the same (An. 15ff)

13. Terence’s audience • Luscius of Lanuvium accuses Terence of contaminatio and patronage • Advocate of fidelity towards Greek sources • ‘Language thin and writing slight’ • T. Luscius had a comedy with a flying deer