Marcus_Venerius_Secundio
Marcus Venerius Secundio
Pompeiian freedman and theatrical producer (c. 79 CE)
Marcus Venerius Secundio was a Roman impresario who produced plays in Greek and Latin, and a custodian of the temple of Venus at Pompeii.[1] Marcus was a former slave, who, after his manumission, applied himself to organizing theatrical performances. He was a financial success, and improved his social standing and garnered prestige. Marcus lived in the 1st century: he was probably born around the beginning of the Christian era and died a few years before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79. Analysis of his remains suggests that he was about 60 years old when he died.[2] His name occurs in the wax tablet archive of his contemporary, the banker Caecilius Iucundus.[2] The discovery of Marcus having put on performances in Greek is strong evidence that ancient Greek must have been an accessible language, along with classical Latin in ancient Rome.[2]