In the 4th century BCE (before the common era) Greek new comedy was in many ways similar to today's television soap operas and sitcoms.
It had streetwise characters, bawdy humour and extravagant plots.
On the Sicilian island of Lipari, the Greek inhabitants were comedy fanatics and avid theatre goers.
This story displays Glasgow’s unique collection of terracotta model acting masks and figurines. The Greeks buried them in their tombs to represent their favourite comic characters:
- old woman left holding the baby
- young man out on the town
These strangely contemporary characters preserve a unique and lively record of the comedies of Menander.
And they help us appreciate the Greeks’ racy sense of humour and of the absurd.