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File:Portrait_of_Terence_from_Vaticana,_Vat._lat.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Terence

Also known as Publius Terentius Afer, Terentius

Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a playwright during the Roman Republic. He was the author of six comedies based on Greek originals by Menander or Apollodorus of Carystus. All six of Terence's plays survive complete and were originally produced between 166 and 160 BC.

OverviewAI-generated

Terence, born Publius Terentius Afer in 185 BCE, was a male poet, writer, and playwright of Carthaginian and Ancient Roman citizenship. He wrote in Latin and Ancient Greek, primarily working in the field of poetry and drama within Ancient Rome. His notable works include the comedies *Adelphoe*, *Andria*, *Eunuchus*, and *Heauton Timorumenos*.

Born into slavery and later classified as a freedman, Terence died in 159 BCE at Lake Stymphalia due to drowning. His writings are held in collections such as the National Gallery of Art. He is described in sources including the *Encyclopædia Britannica* 11th edition and the *Pauly–Wissowa*.

Synthesized by Vinony from 23 facts across 2 sources: Wikidata, Europeana Sparql. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Key facts

Writer.name: Terence
Writer.birth_name: Publius Terentius Afer
Writer.image: Portrait of Terence from Vaticana, Vat. lat.jpg
Writer.caption: Terence, 9th-century illustration, possibly copied from 3rd-century original
Writer.years_active: 166–160 BC
Writer.death_date: c. 159? BC
Writer.occupation: Playwright
Writer.language: Latin
Writer.genre: Fabula palliata
Writer.period: Roman Republic

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Gender: male
Citizenship: Ancient Rome
Place of birth: Carthage
Place of death: Lake Stymphalia
Occupation: playwright
Languages spoken: Ancient Greek
Notable work: Andria
Genre: comedy
Image: Terence cropped.png
Work location: Ancient Rome

Show 15 more facts

topic's main category: Category:Publius Terentius Afer
Commons category: Publius Terentius Afer
date of birth: 0185-00-00
date of death: 0159-00-00
Commons gallery: Publius Terentius Afer
praenomen: Publius
gens: Terentia gens
cause of death: drowning
Commons Creator page: Publius Terentius Afer
writing language: Latin
social classification: slavery
name in native language: P. Terentius Afer
topic has template: Template:Terence
P12749: on-board diagnostics
P13311: Jérémy Toulalan

Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

Works in European collections

36 objects attributed to Terence, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana

~43 min read

Encyclopedic overview

19 sections

Contents

Life and career
Conditions of performance
The ''didascaliae''
The prologues
Suetonian biography
Name and ethnicity
Dates
Plays
Ancient commentary
Manuscripts of Terence
Cultural legacy
See also
References
Editions
Works of Terence
Individual plays
Ancient commentary
Further reading
External links

According to ancient authors, Terence was born in Carthage and was brought to Rome as a slave, where he gained an education and his freedom; around the age of 25, Terence is said to have made a voyage to the east in search of inspiration for his plays, where he died either of disease in Greece, or by shipwreck on the return voyage. However, Terence's traditional biography is often thought to consist of speculation by ancient scholars who lived too long after Terence to have access to reliable facts about his life.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Terence” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Terence