Theatre of Dionysus
Encyclopedia
The Theatre of Dionysus is a major open-air theatre
and one of the earliest preserved in Athens
. It was used for festivals in honor of the god Dionysus
. It is commonly confused with the later and better-preserved Odeon of Herodes Atticus
, located at the southwest slope of the Acropolis
.
transferred the City Dionysia
festival from the rural district of Eleutherae
. The plays that formed a part of these festivals were at first performed on a flat circular area in the Agora of Athens, but were transferred around 500 BCE to the Theatre, located on the sloping southern side of the Acropolis, nearby a temple to Dionysus.
The theatre was dedicated to Dionysus, the god of wine and the patron of drama; it hosted the City Dionysia
festival. Amongst those who competed were the dramatists of the classical era
whose works have survived- Aeschylus
, Sophocles
, Euripides
, Aristophanes
, and Menander
. It formed part of the sacred precinct, or temenos
, of Dionysos Eleuthereus
("Dionysus Liberator"). The theatre was able to hold up to 25,000 people, with them all able to hear clearly what was being said on stage.
The Theatre of Dionysus also sometimes hosted meetings of the Athenian Ecclesia
after the Pnyx
was deemed unsuitable.
An enlarged, stone-version of the theatre, which was built c. 325 BCE, seated between 14,000 to 17,000 spectators. After this it fell into disuse and little is recorded until 61 CE where there is evidence of major renovations done by the Roman emperor
Nero
. The remains of a restored and redesigned Roman version can still be seen at the site today.
Theater (structure)
A theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be produced. While a theater is not required for performance , a theater serves to define the performance and audience spaces...
and one of the earliest preserved in Athens
Classical Athens
The city of Athens during the classical period of Ancient Greece was a notable polis of Attica, Greece, leading the Delian League in the Peloponnesian War against Sparta and the Peloponnesian League. Athenian democracy was established in 508 BC under Cleisthenes following the tyranny of Hippias...
. It was used for festivals in honor of the god Dionysus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
. It is commonly confused with the later and better-preserved Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a stone theatre structure located on the south slope of the Acropolis of Athens. It was built in 161 AD by Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla...
, located at the southwest slope of the Acropolis
Acropolis
Acropolis means "high city" in Greek, literally city on the extremity and is usually translated into English as Citadel . For purposes of defense, early people naturally chose elevated ground to build a new settlement, frequently a hill with precipitous sides...
.
History
In 534 BCE, the tyrant PeisistratusPeisistratus
Peisistratos or Peisistratus or Pisistratus may refer to:*Peisistratos of Athens, tyrant at various times between 561 and 528 BC*Pisistratus the younger, r...
transferred the City Dionysia
Dionysia
The Dionysia[p] was a large festival in ancient Athens in honor of the god Dionysus, the central events of which were the theatrical performances of dramatic tragedies and, from 487 BC, comedies. It was the second-most important festival after the Panathenaia...
festival from the rural district of Eleutherae
Eleutherae
Eleutherae is a city in the northern part of Attica, bordering the territory of Boeotia. One of the best preserved fortresses of the Ancient Greece stands now on the spot of Ancient Eleutherae with walls of very fine masonry that average 2.6m thick. A stretch of wall 206m long containing six...
. The plays that formed a part of these festivals were at first performed on a flat circular area in the Agora of Athens, but were transferred around 500 BCE to the Theatre, located on the sloping southern side of the Acropolis, nearby a temple to Dionysus.
The theatre was dedicated to Dionysus, the god of wine and the patron of drama; it hosted the City Dionysia
Dionysia
The Dionysia[p] was a large festival in ancient Athens in honor of the god Dionysus, the central events of which were the theatrical performances of dramatic tragedies and, from 487 BC, comedies. It was the second-most important festival after the Panathenaia...
festival. Amongst those who competed were the dramatists of the classical era
Classical Greece
Classical Greece was a 200 year period in Greek culture lasting from the 5th through 4th centuries BC. This classical period had a powerful influence on the Roman Empire and greatly influenced the foundation of Western civilizations. Much of modern Western politics, artistic thought, such as...
whose works have survived- Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
, Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
, Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
, Aristophanes
Aristophanes
Aristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...
, and Menander
Menander
Menander , Greek dramatist, the best-known representative of Athenian New Comedy, was the son of well-to-do parents; his father Diopeithes is identified by some with the Athenian general and governor of the Thracian Chersonese known from the speech of Demosthenes De Chersoneso...
. It formed part of the sacred precinct, or temenos
Temenos
Temenos is a piece of land cut off and assigned as an official domain, especially to kings and chiefs, or a piece of land marked off from common uses and dedicated to a god, a sanctuary, holy grove or holy precinct: The Pythian race-course is called a temenos, the sacred valley of the Nile is the ...
, of Dionysos Eleuthereus
Eleutherios
- First name :It is also used as a first name in modern Greek :*Eleftherios Eleftheriou , Cypriot football midfielder...
("Dionysus Liberator"). The theatre was able to hold up to 25,000 people, with them all able to hear clearly what was being said on stage.
The Theatre of Dionysus also sometimes hosted meetings of the Athenian Ecclesia
Ecclesia (ancient Athens)
The ecclesia or ekklesia was the principal assembly of the democracy of ancient Athens during its "Golden Age" . It was the popular assembly, opened to all male citizens over the age of 30 with 2 years of military service by Solon in 594 BC meaning that all classes of citizens in Athens were able...
after the Pnyx
Pnyx
The Pnyx is a hill in central Athens, the capital of Greece. It is located less than west of the Acropolis and 1.6 km south-west of the centre of modern Athens, Syntagma Square.-The site:...
was deemed unsuitable.
An enlarged, stone-version of the theatre, which was built c. 325 BCE, seated between 14,000 to 17,000 spectators. After this it fell into disuse and little is recorded until 61 CE where there is evidence of major renovations done by the Roman emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
. The remains of a restored and redesigned Roman version can still be seen at the site today.
Restoration
On November 24, 2009 Greek authorities announced that they would partially restore the ruined marble theater. The Culture Ministry said the $9 million program is set for completion by 2015.Sources
- Brown, Andrew. 1998. "Ancient Greece." In The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Ed. Martin Banham. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. 441-447. ISBN 0521434378.
- Brockett, Oscar G. and Franklin J. Hildy. 2003. History of the Theatre. Ninth edition, International edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. ISBN 0205410502.
- Rehm, RushRush RehmRush Rehm is an Associate Professor of Drama and Classics at Stanford University, California, in the United States. He also works professionally as an actor and director. He has published many works on classical theatre.- Bibliography :...
. 1992. Greek Tragic Theatre. Theatre Production Studies ser. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 0415118948.
Further reading
- Pickard-Cambridge, Sir Arthur Wallace
- Dithyramb, Tragedy, and Comedy , Oxford 1927.
- The Theatre of Dionysus in Athens, Oxford 1946.
- The Dramatic Festivals of Athens, Oxford 1953. This contains an exposition and treatment of the Theatre of Dionysus.
- Rozik, Eli, The roots of theatre : rethinking ritual and other theories of origin, Iowa City : University of Iowa Press, 2002. ISBN 0877458170