The Beginning of Latin Literature

About 250 BCE Graeco-Roman dramatist and epic poet Lucius Livius Andronicus translated Homer's Odyssey into Latin, and translated and staged Greek comedies and tragedies in Rome. This is considered the beginning of Latin literature.

Livius made his translation of the Odyssey, entitled the Odusia in Latin, for his classes in Saturnian verse. All that survives are parts of 46 scattered lines from 17 books of the Greek 24-book epic.

"In some lines, Livius translates literally, though in others more freely.^[5]  Livius' translation made this fundamental Greek text accessible to Romans, and advanced literary culture in Latin. This project was one of the first examples of translation as an artistic process; the work was to be enjoyed on its own, and Livius strove to preserve the artistic quality of the original. Since there was no tradition of epic in Italy before him^{[dubious – discuss]}, Livius must have faced enormous problems. For example, he used archaising forms to make his language more solemn and intense. His innovations would be important in the history of Latin poetry.^[11]

"In the fragments we have, it is clear that Livius had a desire to remain faithful to the original and to be clear, while having to alter untranslatable phrases and ideas. For example, the phrase "equal to the gods", which would have been unacceptable to Romans, was changed to "summus adprimus", "greatest and of first rank".^{[citation needed]} Also, early Roman poetry made use of pathos, expressive force, and dramatic tension, so Livius interprets Homer with a mind to these ideas as well.^[13] In general, Livius did not make arbitrary changes to the text; rather, he attempted to remain faithful to Homer and to the Latin language." (Wikipedia article on Livius Andronicus, accessed 9-2020).