Theatre of Dionysus

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Present-day remains of the Theatre of Dionysus.

The Theatre of Dionysus was a major open-air theatre in Athens, built at the foot of the Acropolis and forming part of the temenos of "Dionysus Eleuthereus" ("Dioe Liberator"). Dedicated to the god of wine and fertility, it hosted the City Dionysia festival. Amongst those to have competed are all of the renowned dramatists of the classical era, such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes. A stone-version of the theatre, which was built c. 325 BCE, seated between 14,000 to 17,000 spectators.^[1] After this the theatre fell into disuse and little is recorded until 61 CE where there is evidence of major renovations done by the emperor Nero. The remains of a restored and redesigned Roman version can still be seen at the site today.

The Theatre of Dionysus also eventually hosted meetings of the Athenian Ecclesia after the Pynx was deemed unsuitable.

Greek authorities announced on November 24, 2009 that they will partially restore the ruined marble theater. The Culture Ministry said the $9 million program is set for completion by 2015 and will include extensive modern additions to the surviving marble seats.

References

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, Rush. 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.
• Rabinowitz, Nancy Sorkin (2008). Greek Tragedy. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub. ISBN 9781405121606.  This contains an exposition and treatment of the Theatre of Dionysus.

Coordinates: 37°58′13″N 23°43′40″E / 37.97034°N 23.727784°E / 37.97034; 23.727784

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