(Publius Terentius Afer) (190-159 BC) Roman dramatist. Born in Carthage, he was taken as a slave to Rome where he was freed and came under the patronage of the Roman general Scipio Africanus Minor. His surviving six comedies (including The Eunuch 161 BC) are subtly characterized and based on Greek models. They were widely read and performed during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.