Volcatius Sedigitus

Volcātius Sedīgitus (Latin pronunciation: [wɔlˈkaːtɪʊs sɛˈdiːɡɪtʊs]) was the titulus of a Roman literary critic who flourished around 100 b.c., noted for his ranking of those he considered the best Latin comics.

Nothing is known about Sedigitus beyond that Pliny, who calls him an illustris poeta, states that he got his cognomen because he was born with six fingers on each hand. This rare state, known as polydactyly, is caused by a dominant gene. 'Six digits (fingers or toes)' in Latin is sex digitī (singular digitus.) The Romans did not avoid openly referencing blemishes and personal infirmities in the names they gave to public figures. (See Roman naming conventions.) A literary critic, his origin may have been from outside the Roman Empire or his origins may have been lowly. Volcatius is an adjective referring to the Volcatia gens and to the Volcae, a Celtic people.

From his work Dē Poētīs Aulus Gellius' Noctēs Atticae preserves 13 iambic senarii in didascaly, in which "Canon", as it has been termed, the principal Latin comics are enumerated in order of merit, from greatest: Caecilius, Plautus, Naevius, Licinius, Atilius, Terence, Turpilius, Trabea, Luscius, Ennius.

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