Theater of Dionysos (2024)

Dionysos Theater
ΘΕΑΤΡΟ ΔΙΟΝΥΣΟΥ ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΕΩΣ

​As the visitor enters the archaeological area on the southern slope of the Acropolis from Dionysiou Areopagitou Street, and heads upwards,on the slope to his right will encounter the most ancient theater of the world, the Theater of Dionysos. The most important ancient Greek poets, Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Euripides, and Sophocles saw premiere performances of their plays in the 5th c. BC, in this very theater.The auditorium and the proscenium were made of wood. In the 4th c. BC they were reconstructed using marble. Sections of the stone auditorium survive. According to experts, the theater had a capacity of 17,000. On the slope overlooking the theater, carved on the rock of the Acropolis, is the choragicMonument of Thrasyllos(319 BC) and two choragicCorinthian columns.

​TheTheater of Dionysos Eleuthereusis a major open-airtheaterand one of the earliest preserved inAthens. It was used for festivals in honor of the godDionysos.The site of the theater, on the south slope of the Athenian Acropolis, has been known since the 18th c. Early remains in the area relating to the cult of Dionysos Eleuthereus have been dated to the 6th c. BC, during the rule ofPeisistratos andhissuccessors, but a theater was apparently not built on the site until the 5th c. BC. The only certain evidence of this early theater consists of a few stone blocks that were reused in the 4th c. BC.During the 6th c. BC, performances associated with thefestivals of Dionysoswere probably held in theAthenian Agora, with spectators seated on wooden bench seatsset up around a flat circular area, theorchestra, until theseatscollapsed in the early 5th c. BC, an event attested in ancient sources. After the collapse of the stands, the dramatic and musical contests were moved to the precinct of Dionysos on the slope of the Acropolis.

The early theater there must have been very simple, comprising a flat orchestra, with a few rows of wooden or stone benches set into the hill. The oldest orchestra in the theater precinct is thought to have been circular (or nearly so) with a diameter of around 27 m, although there is some debate as to its original size and shape. A wooden scene building (skene) was apparently introduced at the back of the orchestra, serving for the display of artificial scenery and perhaps also to enhance the acoustics.It was in this unpretentious setting that the plays of the great Attic tragedians of the 5th c BC were performed. By the end of the 5th c BC, some of the wooden constructions had been replaced with stone.

The Theater of Dionysos in its present general state dates largely to the period of the Athenian statesman Lycurgos (ca. 390-325/4 BC), who, as overseer of the city's finances and building program, refurbished the theater in stone in monumental form. The 4th c. theater had a permanent stage extending in front of the orchestra and a three-tier seating area (theatron) that stretched up the slope. The scene building had projecting wings at both ends (paraskenia), to accommodate stairways or movable scenery.

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At the center of this row of seats was a grand marble throne reserved for the priest of Dionysos. The Theater of Dionysos underwent a modernization in the Roman period, although the Greek theater retained much of its integrity and general form. An entirely new stage was built in the 1st c., dedicated to Dionysos and the Roman emperorNero. By this time, the floor of the orchestra had been paved with marble slabs, and new seats of honor were constructed around the edge of the orchestra. Late alterations carried out in the 3rd c. by the archon Phaedros included the reuse of earlierHadrianicreliefs,which were built into the front of the stage building.The remains of a restored and redesigned Roman version of the theater can still be seen at the site today.

​The theater was dedicated to Dionysos, the god of wine and the patron of drama; it hosted theCity Dionysia festival. Among those who competed were the dramatists of theclassical erawhose works have survived: Aeschylos,Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, andMenander. The advent of tragedy, in particular, is credited to the Athenians with festivals staged during specific times of year. These dramatic festivals were competitive among playwrights and involved the production of four plays, three tragedies and one satyr play featuring lighter themes. Early on, the subject matter of the four plays was often linked, with the three tragedies forming a trilogy, such as theOresteiaof Aeschylos. This famous trilogy (Agamemnon,Choephori, andEumenides) won the competition of 458 BC held in the Theater of Dionysos Eleuthereus. The plays tell the story of the curse on the House of Atreus: Agamemnon’s murder by his wife, the revenge of their son, Orestes, upon his mother, and Orestes’ trial in Athens.

By the time of the Oresteia, dramatists would have had askeneand probably also a wheeled platform for special effects (ekkyklema) and a lifting device (mechane) available for their productions, as well as the use of a third actor. In the late 4th c. exaggerated masks were worn and considered highly important for character identification to an audience consisting of thousands.It is assumed that earlier masks, such as those worn in plays by Aeschylus, were more modest in expression and size. With all this in mind, one can perhaps form an impression of the ancient Theater of Dionysos and appreciate the context of the dramatic performances that took place there.

​The Theater of Dionysos on occasion hosted meetings of the AthenianEkklesiaafter thePnyxwas deemed unsuitable. In the Roman period, "crude Roman amusem*nts" that were ordinarily restricted to the amphitheater replaced the sacred performances once held in the theater, and by the Byzantine period, the entire complex had been destroyed.