Remember me thus : a study of Latin epitaphs of mime actresses

Abstract

Theatre in ancient Rome was diverse and many of the genres took their origin from Greece, so much so that many scholars have opted to consider Roman theatre as a sub-category of Greek theatre. There were, nonetheless, uniquely Roman genres as well, such as the Atellan farce. Theatre also fulfilled specific roles in Roman society, including in both the public and the private spheres. In the public sphere, theatre was at first a part of ludi romani (‘Roman games’) and later evolved into ludi scaenici (‘stage games’) as the theatrical performances associated within the main festival. Rome had its first permanent theatre built in 55 B.C.E.; thus, until then, many performances took place in various temporary stages and locations and were not restricted to a specific place. Therefore, performances such as mimes, acrobats, storytellers, jugglers and poetry performers can be considered as ‘paratheatrical performances’ due to the venue of these acts. [excerpt]