Representations of Classical Greek Monuments : An Exploration of the Visual Culture

Theater of Dionysus

A distinct landmark in ancient Greek architecture was the theater. Massive structures built for the public to gather and use for religious, political, and entertainment purposes. One of the best preserved and famous if the Theater of Dionysus Eleutherius on the southern slope of the Acropolis. Started in the 6th century BC by Peisistratos and expanded over the course of centuries, the theater is one of the oldest. Once part of a wider sanctuary for Dionysus, the theater was originally made for religious ceremonies, but evolved into a site where some of the most famous Greek plays by Euripides, Sophocles, and Aristophanes were performed. The front rows of seats around the stage were made of stone and added in the 5th century BC. The rest of the  seats comprised of wood and were sectioned off into wedge shapes with stepped aisle ways to the highest rows, giving the theater the recognizable semi-circular shape. In 330 BC, the archon Lykourgos added additional rows of limestone seats, two horizontal walkways between the sectioned seats, and up to 67 additional, personalized, VIP front row seats from marble. He also commissioned a central throne for the priest of Dionysus, and eventually gave the theater a capacity of 16,000 people. 

Although an attack on the city in 86 BC had damaged the theater, restoration was carried out and a speakers’s platform was added in the 2nd or 3rd century CE. It was then decorated with marble depictions of myths by the archon Phaidros in the 5th century CE. 


After being buried by earth fill, the theater was finally excavated in 1838 by the Archaeological Society of Athens, with work continuing into the 1880s. Further excavations and restorations started to be carried out again in the 1980’s and continue today. 

Sources:
https://www.ancient.eu/Greek_Architecture/
https://www.ancient.eu/article/814/theatre-of-dionysos-eleuthereus/

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