Agamemno suppositus by Pomponius of Bononia: A Few Hypotheses

Abstract: The Atellan farce Agamemno suppositus by Pomponius has been identified as a mythological burlesque similar to phlyakes . However, the comic element in this play has not yet been explored. In my article I argue that the participle suppositus suggests modelling of Atellana on palliata as it concerns a suppositio motif (a fraudulent introduction of a child into a family) and that the theme of a heroic infancy might have originated from satyr-plays. I also show a possible connection between the discussed Atellan farce and lex Cornelia de falsis (81 BCE), a law which punished the crime of substitution of a child.