It’s Black History Month! Black People in European History #19

It's Black History Month! Every day I will post something that shows the deep and rich history of Black people in Europe, so no one ever again questions why Black actors should be cast in all the films, plays, and shows about European history or based on fictionalized European history like Lord of the Rings and The Witcher.

February 19: Publius Terentius Afer, better known as the Roman playwright Terence. Terence was born in North Africa, and a Roman senator called Terentius Lucanus brought him at a young age to Rome as a slave. Lucanus educated him, and was so impressed with his brilliance (and, some accounts say, his beauty) that he freed him, after which young Terence took the name by which we now know him. If you’ve studied theatre history for even five minutes, you know Terence, one of the most important Roman playwrights.

There are no contemporary images of Terence-- all extant artwork was done long after his death-- so Penguin chose this ancient portrait of a young Egyptian man for its cover. Cast Black actors!