1910–1911
Britannica 11th
Encyclopaedia Britannica · 11th edition
ATELLANAE FABULAE (" Atellan fables "),.the name of a sort of popular comedy amongst the ancient Romans. The name is derived from Atella, an Oscan town in Campania; for this reason, and from their being also called Osci ludi, it has been supposed that they were of Oscan origin and introduced at Rome after Campania had been deprived of its independence. It seems highly improbable that they were performed in the Oscan language. Mommsen, however, rejects their Oscan origin altogether; he regards them as purely Latin, …
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- Vol. 2, pp. 824-824