Titus Quinctius Atta

Titus Quinctius Atta (died 77 BC) was a Roman comedy writer, and, like Titinius and Afranius, was distinguished as a writer of fabulae togatae, national comedies.

Works

He had the reputation of being a vivid delineator of character, especially female. He also seems to have published a collection of epigrams. The scanty fragments contain many archaisms, but are lively in style. According to Horace (Epistles, ii 1. 79), the plays of Atta were still put on the stage in his lifetime.

Surviving Titles and Fragments

We only have the titles (and associated fragments) of twelve of Atta's plays.

Aedilicia Aquae Caldae Conciliatrix (Matchmaker) Gratulatio Lucubratio Materterae (Maternal Aunts)

Megalensia (The Megalensia Festival) Nurus (Daughter-in-Law) Satura Socrus (Mother-in-Law) Supplicatio Tiro Proficiscens (Tiro Setting Forth)

References

Attribution

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Atta, Titus Quinctius". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.; Endnotes:

• Aulus Gellius vii. 9
• fragments in Neukirch, De fabula togata 18 manorum (1833)
• Ribbeck, Comicorum Latinorum reliquiae (1855).