Odeon

Ephesus Odeon, Turkey

Odeon (from the Ancient Greek ᾨδεῖον, Ōideion, literally "singing place", or "building for musical competitions"; from the verb ἀείδω, aeidō, "I sing", which is also the root of ᾠδή, ōdē, "ode", and of ἀοιδός, aoidos, "singer") is the name for several ancient Greek and Roman buildings built for music: singing exercises, musical shows, poetry competitions, and the like.

Description

In a general way its construction was similar to that of an ancient Greek theatre, but it was only a quarter of the size and was provided with a roof for acoustic purposes, a characteristic difference. The prototype odeon was the Odeon of Pericles (Odeon of Athens), a mainly wooden building by the southern slope of the Acropolis of Athens.

Examples

The oldest known odeon in Greece was the Skias at Sparta, so called from its resemblance to the top of a parasol, said to have been erected by Theodorus of Samos (600 B.C.); in Athens an odeon near the spring Enneacrunus on the Ilissus was referred to the age of Peisistratus, and appears to have been rebuilt or restored by Lycurgus (c. 330 B.C.). This is probably the building which, according to Aristophanes,^[1] was used for judicial purposes, for the distribution of corn, and even for the billeting of soldiers.

Roman Odeon of Fourvière, Lyon, France

The most magnificent odeon was the one built on the southwest cliff of the Acropolis at Athens about 160 A.D. by the wealthy sophist and rhetorician Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife, considerable remains of which are still to be seen. It had accommodation for 8000 persons, and the ceiling was constructed of beautifully carved beams of cedar wood, probably with an open space in the centre to admit the light. It was also profusely decorated with pictures and other works of art. Similar buildings also existed in other parts of Greece; at Corinth, also the gift of Herodes Atticus; at Patrae, where there was a famous statue of Apollo; at Smyrna, Tralles, and other towns in Asia Minor. The first odeon in Rome was built by Domitian, a second by Trajan.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Odeum". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

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