Etruscan and Oscan Influence on Roman Culture

Public Performance and Revival of Atellan Farce

Sep 15, 2009

Before the importation of Greek drama, the cultures of other civilizations were apparent in the Romans' entertainments.

None of the music and boisterous action of Roman theatre are classed as original or distinctive to their culture.

Etruscan Influence on Roman Entertainment

Etruscan culture may have been the source of the Romans' introduction to public entertainments. During the 6th and 5th centuries BC, the Etruscans to the north of Rome enjoyed various types of shows. These included bawdy sketches, mime, singing, dancing, and athletic competitions. Horse racing and other popular Etruscan activities were adopted by the Romans.

While the Etruscans were influential, there are no surviving dramatic scripts from that period.

Oscan Farce and Public Performance

The presence and influence of the Oscans of Campania who lived south east of Rome is part of Roman theatrical history. Shortly after the Oscans overran Greek settlements near Rome, their form of drama appeared (391 BC).

The Atellan farces, named for the Oscan town of Atella, were sketches that used stock characters. Typically, the characters such as the foolish old man, the rogue, and the clown satirized people of Atella. The pieces were of low-brow or buffoonish comedy.

Known also as “Oscan Games” (Ludi osci), these atellanae fabulae are sometimes referred to as “Roman farce”. They actually originated in the Oscan language that is akin to Latin. The Atellan farces were revived again as spectacles during the reign of Hadrian (117-138 AD).

While no complete farce survives, preserved quotations written during the period prove its existence. After fading from the scene, Atellan farce became prominent again with the writings of two dramatists.

Revival of Atellan Farce by Dramatists

Lucius Pomponius was a Latin poet/dramatist who flourished about 90 BC. By arranging plot details in written text, he gave artistic form to the Atellan farces which were formerly improvisational sketches. Politics, religion, society, and mythology were included in his work. He was praised for his utilization of the Oscans’ rustic, farcical language. Seventy pieces were attributed to him, including

Quintus Novius (30 BC) was another Roman dramatist who revived the Atellan farces. His works that maintained the original cast of characters presented them with literary dignity. He was described as a “well-esteemed writer whose little Atellans found a receptive audience”. These are some of his known forty-three pieces

Records indicate that the farces died out ‘forever’ after that period. The Oscans were assimilated when the Romans conquered their territories. Their ethnic identity disappeared, and their language was no longer spoken by the end of the 1st century AD. It is believed that one facet of their culture, the Atellan farce, has not completely disappeared.

Of all the imports, Greek theatre was the most enduring influence upon that of the Romans.

The copyright of the article Etruscan and Oscan Influence on Roman Culture in Ancient Theatre is owned by Kathleen Airdrie. Permission to republish Etruscan and Oscan Influence on Roman Culture in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.