LIVIUS ANDRONICUS

'Lucius Livius Andronicus' (280/260 BC?–200 BC?), not to be confused with the later historian Livy, was a Greco-Roman dramatist and epic poet who produced the first Roman dramatic work and translated many Greek works into Latin. He is regarded as the father of Roman drama and epic poetry.
Andronicus was probably born in the Greek colony of Tarentum (now Taranto, Italy), and was made a slave to a Livian noble. After being freed and adopting the name of his former master, Andronicus became the first Greek teacher in Rome. Andronicus is considered the first Roman author and the founder of Roman epic poetry. He produced for the uncultured Romans their first formal play, a translation of a Greek drama, in 240 BC. His most important work is ''Odysseia'', a Latin version of Homer's ''Odyssey,'' written in Saturnian verses. He is also quoted as producing various other poems.