The Oscans in Greek and Roman Tradition: Some Notes

This paper will show that the term ̓Οπικόϛ and its Latin equivalent Opicus have a double meaning in the ancient tradition: on the one hand it refers to a specific ethnic group, on the other hand it becomes a way of indicating a person or, more generally, a people incapable of speaking Greek correctly, with a meaning similar to that of βάρβαροϛ.