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.
Two-way literary interactions between Sicily/Magna Graecia and Athens are clearly attested for this period. The Athenian tragic poet Aeschylus probably travelled several times to the court of Hieron I and was even …
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Citation: Paillard, Elodie. "Ancient Greek Theatre in Italy". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 March 2019 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19563, accessed 03 May 2024.]
