Bassilla

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Bassilla (fl. 3rd century CE) was a mime actress in Ancient Rome. Her colleague, the actor and dancer Heracleides, placed a memorial to her at the Roman amphitheatre in Aquileia. The memorial is a stone stele with a carved portrait of Bassilla in fine, modest clothing and a dignified pose, with a Greek inscription praising her beneath the image. In Roman mime, she acted in speaking roles in plays, performed pantomime, danced, and was part of the chorus. Her fame spread across many cities in the Empire. She was called archimima, the leading lady of a Roman theatre, and her epitaph called her the “10th Muse.” She may have been known for death scenes, as the inscription notes she had “died many a time on stage — but never thus!” She is believed to have played Charition, the plotting wife in a famous comedy.