Background
He was born in the Greek community of Taranto (now Italy). Probably he was born, "that is, in 240 BC".
(Die Beiträge zur Altertumskunde enthalten Monographien, S...)
Die Beiträge zur Altertumskunde enthalten Monographien, Sammelbände, Editionen, Übersetzungen und Kommentare zu Themen aus den Bereichen Klassische, Mittel- und Neulateinische Philologie, Alte Geschichte, Archäologie, Antike Philosophie sowie Nachwirken der Antike bis in die Neuzeit. Dadurch leistet die Reihe einen umfassenden Beitrag zur Erschließung klassischer Literatur und zur Forschung im gesamten Gebiet der Altertumswissenschaften.
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He was born in the Greek community of Taranto (now Italy). Probably he was born, "that is, in 240 BC".
Taken as a prisoner of war to Rome, Andronicus, after serving as tutor, probably in the household of M. Livius Salinator, received his freedom and took the name Livius from his patron. By translating and adapting Greek poetry, Livius became the virtual founder of Latin literature, which had shown little promise and seemed to require the inspiration of Greek models. Livius's translation of the Odyssey into Saturnian verse, a native Italian meter, remained a popular textbook for young students at least until the time of Horace.
In 240 b. c. at the public games, the ludi Romani, Livius presented a tragedy and a comedy, both adapted from Greek originals and preserving their iambic and trochaic meters. In so doing he set a precedent that was followed by Roman tragic and comic poets for over a century, or as long as there was any successful stage drama in Rome. In 207 b. c. Livius composed a hymn to propitiate the gods at a critical stage of the Second Carthaginian War, thus qualifying also as the father of the Latin lyric.
(Die Beiträge zur Altertumskunde enthalten Monographien, S...)