CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE

8th c. B.C. Greek colonization of Campania 753 B.C. Alleged foundation of Rome About 510 End of Etruscan kingship at Rome. Beginning of the Republic End of 6th c. The Capitoline she-wolf. Lapis niger Mid-5th c. The Twelve Tables About 390 Rome taken by the Gauls 312 Appius Claudius Caecus, famous orator. During his censorship the Aqua Appia and Via Appia (from Rome to Capua) were built 272 Tarentum taken by the Romans. Influence of Greek theater

REPUBUCAN PERIOD I (about 24o-81 B.C.) 241 End of the First Punic War which, still in the 3rd c., would become the subject of Naevius' epic, a poet from Capua. Italy and Sicily unified: beginning of a Latin literature 240 First performance of a literary Latin drama in Rome (by Livius Andronicus who, in all probability, came from Tarentum) 218-201 Second Punic War, to be treated in Greek prose by Fabius Pictor and in Latin verse by Ennius from southern Italy 211 Syracuse taken by the Romans. Works of art brought to Rome as trophies 197 Victory of Cynoscephalae (over Philipp V of Macedonia) 196 Greece declared 'free' 191 Gallia Cisalpina made a Roman province CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE 1831

186 Scandal of the Bacchanalia: the cult of Bacchus prohibited 184 Death of the playwright Plautus 169 Death of Ennius, a poetic multi-talent 168 Battle of Pydna: victory of L. Aemilius Paullus over Perseus of Macedonia. The royal library of Pella brought to Rome. Greek schools at Rome. The historian Polybius comes to Rome 166-160 Terence's comedies performed 149 Death of Cato Censorius (orator, historian, and author of a work on agriculture) 146 Destruction of Carthage and Corinth 133 Numantia taken by the Romans. Attalus III of Pergamon bequeathes his kingdom to the Romans. Pergamene scholarship imbued with Stoicism becomes influential in Rome 133-121 Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus 121 Gallia Narbonensis becomes a Roman province 111-105 Jugurthine War. Numidia becomes a Roman province 106 Cicero born 100 Caesar born

Conditions Initially, poets are foreigners or freedman, later on, at best, free natives of Italy. Prose authors are senators (or their clients). Poets come from southern or central Italy (Terence is Mrican), orators and historians from central Italy.

Genre Poetry Epic: Livius Andronicus: His Odusia is a part of primitive history of Italy; Naevius: First Punic War; Ennius: Second Punic War. Drama: Tragedy (Ennius, Pacuvius, Accius), Comedy (rich style: Plautus, Caecilius; severe style: Terence), along with these genres, there are other, partly popular, forms. Lyric: Expiatory hymn of Livius Andronicus. Epigrams: significant early inscriptions of the Scipios; later (about l 00) playful love epigrams.